U.S. Soccer’s board of directors has voted to repeal a 2017 policy that required national team players to stand during the national anthem, a rule adopted after U.S. Women's National Team star Megan Rapinoe kneeled in support of NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
The board made the decision during a conference call on Wednesday. The decision comes after USWNT released a statement calling on the federation to rescind the policy.
Rapinoe took a knee during the national anthem at a pair of national team matches in 2016.
She said she wanted to express solidarity with Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who silently took a knee during the national anthem before NFL games to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice.
After a season of kneeling during the anthem, Kaepernick entered free agency was not signed by an NFL team. He remains a free agent.
