XFL commissioner: Players will be required to stand for anthem

XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said Tuesday the league will make players stand for the Star Spangled Banner, reinforcing the message founder Vince McMahon conveyed in January.

"We respect individual freedoms, but we will require our players to stand for the national anthem," Luck told Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report shortly after he was announced as the league's new commissioner and chief operating officer.

The XFL, which existed for one season in 2001, is set to relaunch in 2020. Upon announcing the league's revival on Jan. 25, McMahon said its employees wouldn't be permitted to make political statements while on the job.

"People don't want social and political issues coming into play when they are trying to be entertained," he said. "We want someone who wants to take a knee to do their version of that on their personal time."

At the time, McMahon refrained from guaranteeing players would be forced to stand for the anthem. He did, however, note that standing for the anthem "would be appropriate."