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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Jerry Jones has already demanded that his Cowboys stand for the national anthem this season. Christopher Johnson, meanwhile, has promised to pay the fines for any Jets players who choose to kneel.

But Giants co-owner John Mara isn't ready to lean in either of those directions on the NFL's national anthem problem just yet, not until the league and the NFL Players Association have had a chance to talk about the whole thing.

"There will be meetings fairly soon and there have been discussions about the anthem policy," Mara said. "Hopefully we will be able to come to some sort of resolution that everybody can buy into."

That seems far-fetched given the emotions surrounding the controversy that began last year when former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem as a protest against racial injustice in the United States. Many players joined his protest, including three Giants -- Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, and Landon Collins. The protest by Harrison and Collins was short-lived, but Vernon took a knee during the anthem all year.

With the issue causing a national stir, and drawing heavy criticism from the president, the NFL set a new policy for 2018, requiring all players on the field to stand for the anthem, but allowing players who wanted to protest to remain in the locker room. Mara, the chairman of the NFL Management Council's Executive committee, had a big part in crafting that rule.

But that rule was universally blasted, including by the president, for either going too far or not going far enough. And the NFLPA was furious that it wasn't consulted on the policy. Eventually, the NFL backpedaled and put the rule on hold so the two sides could talk.

Until that happens, Mara said, he will not make a team rule. And when he does, he said, he will make sure to consult with some of the Giants' players first.

"My intention all along has to been to sit with our veteran players when they came back to training camp and just discuss the issue," Mara said. "Now that the policy has been put on hold pending discussions with the NFLPA, I think we're going to let those play out before I sit down and talk about that with our players."

Vernon said last month that he would follow NFL rules and stand for the anthem if he's on the field, though he did not say whether he would choose to remain in the locker room. New Giants safety Michael Thomas also kneeled during the anthem most of last season when he was with the Miami Dolphins. Back in June, he said he wasn't yet sure what he planned to do.

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