Local civil rights activists are preparing to protest outside Ford Field during Lions games if team owner Martha Ford doesn't denounce the NFL's new policy on standing during the national anthem.
Last season, some Lions players kneeled or displayed other objections during the national anthem to what many consider social injustices in America.
Now, the local head of the National Action Network is calling on the Ford family to denounce the new NFL rule requiring that they stand or remain in the locker room.
Civil rights activists say they are prepared to protest.
"It is a shame that in 2018 we still have to advocate for freedom of speech," said Rev. Charles Williams II, the head of the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network.
A spokesperson for the Lions said they are deferring all anthem inquiries to the NFL's statement from earlier this week.
Part of that statement reads:
"It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case."
The statement also went on to say:
"This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem. Personnel who choose not to stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room until after the anthem has been performed."
