This is where we are now. The league itself has on operations manual all 32 teams must adhere to as a matter of course. It's not the "rule book" which would tell us what a holding penalty is, it's just the book that you, as an owner, must adhere to in order to have a franchise.
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The meme claims that page 62-63 of the "NFL rule book" dictates that during the national anthem, players must stand, face the flag, hold their helmet in their left hand and refrain from talking. The meme claims that failure to follow this policy can result in fines, suspensions or forfeiture of draft picks.
So, is it true?
Technically, yes. But it's not in the "NFL rule book."
While this language does not appear in the 2017 Official Playing Rules of the National Football League, which is available in its entirety online, it is a part of the game operations manual, which is distributed to all 32 teams, according to NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy.
McCarthy said that the policy has been in place for several years, pre-dating protests that began during the 2016 season.
"It’s policy, it’s not a rule. I think where people are getting confused is, rules, that’s like holding or defensive pass interference, that’s a rule. This is policy," McCarthy said.
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You'll see many articles like this trying to downplay this. Weasels would be proud.
Just as an example, this is like the PGA having rules of golf (USGA rules) and rules for venues. We all can understand that allowing patrons to spit on players, play a boom box while a guy is teeing off, or allowing flash photography or cut-off shorts for spectators would be a deal-breaker for a venue of a PGA event. That's why there is a separate manual for them, and it doesn't involve the penalty for a lost ball.
