ESPN will not be broadcasting the national anthem during its Monday Night football program this season.
On Friday, ESPN president Jimmy Piatro, who was hired back in March, told reporters at a media event on ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Connecticut, that the network has not previously shown the national anthem during its Monday Night Football broadcasts and doesn’t intend to make any change.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Piatro mentioned the network has told the NFL “as (a) courtesy” given their partnership, according to USA Today. He also noted that he spent most of the time in his position building a stronger bond between the two brands. ESPN drops about $2 billion a year for the right to broadcast Monday Night Football.
The NFL and the NFL Players’ Association are still working on a policy they both agree on in terms of how to conduct themselves during the national anthem. The organizations are hoping to have a solified policy before the start of the season on Sept. 6.
