Smith in the Post: Constitution checks government power, not private entities
The NFL's announcement that players who do not stand for the national anthem could be fined highlights the clash of values over what defines equality and patriotism, Emory Law Associate Professor Fred Smith Jr. tells the Washington Post. "This is clearly a very fraught issue in the American political imagination," he said. "Generally speaking, I don't think people want to see large powerful entities, whether it be Facebook or anyone else, telling us what to think and what to say and how to say it. But the constitution is a protection against government power. And for private entities, like the country itself, it's a work in progress."