Just don't expect any far-ranging decisions to be made.
Judging by the comments Sunday from the Texans' Robert McNair and the Jets' Christopher Johnson Yasmani Grandal Jersey , the debate among the 32 owners could be confrontational.
McNair, who last year made an analogy of inmates running the prison about players' demonstrations during the anthem, remains adamant that everyone should stand for the "The Star-Spangled Banner."
"Our playing field is not the place for political statements, not the place for religious statements," McNair said. "It's the place for football."
Johnson, acting owner of the Jets with his brother, Woody, serving as ambassador to the United Kingdom, took a far different tack.
"I have immense respect for the players and their efforts," Christopher Johnson said. "I think if other teams approached it like that, it would not be such a problem in the NFL.
"I can't speak to how other people run their teams, but I just think that trying to forcibly get the players to shut up is a fantastically bad idea."
While the social protests players made last season will be a topic here, reaching an agreement on language in the league's policy regarding behavior during the anthem is highly unlikely. Owners will meet again in May in Atlanta, and with so much other business to attend in the next three days, the anthem issue figures to extend until then.
"I don't know if it'll be a vote or just a new policy coming out Terrell Edmunds Game Jersey ," Giants owner John Mara said. "I think we can't go much beyond the May meeting before coming up with some sort of resolution to that."
McNair and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are among the leaders of the move to ban any demonstrations during the anthem. McNair drew strong criticism from a variety of players after making his "inmates" comment last fall.
"We're going to deal with it in such a way, I think, that people will understand that we want everybody to respect our country, respect our flag," McNair said Sunday. "And our playing fields, that's not the place for political statements.
"Fans are upset about it. The fans are our customers. You can replace the owners and the league would survive. You can replace the players, although the game won't be as good. You can't replace the fans. If you don't have the fans, you're dead."
Johnson was more willing to search for answers to the anthem issue while also not wanting the players' messages to be lost. He doesn't favor seeing the policy changed to having the players remain in the locker room until after the anthem is played, which has been discussed.
"I think that's a particularly bad idea," Johnson said.
What about changing the language to the players must stand?
"I don't agree with that either, but I'm only one of 32 owners," he added. "I think that the Jets had a pretty great thing happen last year around the anthem. I think there was an understanding between me and the players that we could use our position - rightly or wrongly, people pay attention to teams and athletes - but we could use our position to get some great stuff done off the field. I think we have done some great things off the field."
Another off-field topic is the sale of the Carolina Panthers. Jerry Richardson announced in December that he was selling following allegations of workplace misconduct.
"He's going to sell the team," McNair said of the 81-year-old Richardson. "He's had all kinds of health problems. ... I don't know all the details, but I know he has some good prospective buyers that appear to be qualified."
As for investigations into Richardson's behavior Rasmus Dahlin Sabres Jersey , McNair defended his fellow owner, also citing instances when the Texans faced similar accusations.
"I understand what he's saying," McNair said. "Sometimes people choose to try to make something go away rather than fighting. I think his regret is he didn't fight some of these things.
"We got confronted with it, too, where people will allege something, they get a lawyer, and what they do is come out and threaten you. And your legal counsel and your insurance people say, 'Well, it's going to cost you X number millions of dollars' to defend this. And if we can settle it for this.'
"Well, wait a minute. We're not guilty. Why would we do that?' That's the question. Sometimes just to get rid of it, if you can get rid of it, (you) 鈥?do it."
Evander Kane knew San Jose was a good fit when Joe Thornton showed up for a late-night airport pickup following a trade deadline deal.That comfort was only reinforced over the next 10 weeks on the ice and in the dressing room. It left Kane with an easy choice as he headed toward free agency.
Kane bypassed a chance at the open market by signing a seven-year deal Thursday worth $49 million to stay with the Sharks for the long term.
”It’s good to be wanted and I wanted them just as much as they wanted me,” Kane said. ”The fact that we were able to work out a deal so quickly reflects that. Obviously, when you’re a free agent you have the option to do what you want and I made it clear to them that I didn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Kane will be paid $9 million the first year of the deal, followed by salaries of $8 million Youth Rasheem Green Jersey , $6 million, $7 million, $7 million and two years at $6 million, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because terms were not released. He also has a limited no-trade clause.
Kane, who turns 27 in August, was acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline in February and became a key part of San Jose’s team down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Under the terms of that trade, the Sabres will get a first-round pick in 2019 instead of a second-rounder because Kane signed with San Jose. The selection is lottery-protected, so it could be moved to 2020.
The Sharks aren’t concerned about that price.
”You don’t find guys like this unless you’re picking in the top three, four guys in the draft, and no one wants to be there,” coach Peter DeBoer said.
”When you’re signing free agents, especially elite players and guys that are going to play huge roles for you, you really want to know about them as much as possible. And you really don’t know a player until you stand behind the bench and are around them every day. So that was a nice luxury to have. I think we all felt comfortable that this was a guy that could help us win.”
Kane’s status was one of the biggest questions heading into this offseason for the Sharks, who were knocked out of the playoffs in six games in the second round against eventual Western Conference champion Vegas.
Thornton is the other prominent potential free agent on the team. But he’s said he’s willing to come back on a reduced one-year deal.
The Sharks still have salary cap flexibility to make more moves, which will be easier now that Kane’s deal is done and he can be slotted in on a top line.
”He plays with great speed and fits with not only our game but where the league is trending Donte Jackson Jersey Elite ,” general manager Doug Wilson said.
”To get him in place and secured was very important to us. Top-six forwards like that, there aren’t many out there and when you get one you want to make sure that he’s secured. It fills in our roster.”
Kane stepped right onto the top line with captain Joe Pavelski after arriving in San Jose and helped ease the loss of Thornton, who went down with a season-ending knee injury in January. Kane used speed and physical play to deliver nine goals and five assists in 17 games and helped San Jose make the playoffs, giving him a first taste of the postseason.
Kane shined in the first round with three goals and an assist during a sweep against Anaheim. But he struggled a bit against the Golden Knights, slowed by injuries to his knee and shoulder that lingered from the end of the regular season.
He had one goal and a minus-5 rating in five games against Vegas. He missed Game 2 of that series when he was suspended for cross-checking Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Kane finished last season with 29 goals and 25 assists, his second-most productive season to his 30-goal, 27-assist run for the Jets in 2011-12. Kane has 186 goals and 168 assists in 574 games since entering the NHL as the fourth overall pick by Atlanta in 2009.
Despite his credentials, there was not a robust trade market for Kane back in February in part because he had issues off the ice with some teammates during his stints with Winnipeg and Buffalo.
Kane also had legal run-ins.
In March 2016, prosecutors announced after a three-month investigation that Kane would not face a sexual assault charge. In June 2016, he was arrested for allegedly grabbing three women by the hair and neck during an altercation at a Buffalo bar. The charges were eventually dismissed on condition Kane stayed out of trouble as part of a plea agreement.
Also that year, the Sabres suspended Kane for one game for missing practice a day after pictures surfaced on social media of the player celebrating in Toronto after attending the NBA All-Star Game.
There haven’t been issues in his brief time with the Sharks.
”We really started things off on the right note and it just carried on from there,” Kane said. ”The one thing about this team and this group and this organization is that they allow you to be yourself. They embrace you for that. It’s a very unselfish group that makes it super easy to come into and mesh well with.”
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AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report
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