The NFL will re-allow players to drop to one knee during the American Anthem.

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Katelyn Mulcahy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

The US Football Federation (USSF) on Saturday officially repealed its controversial rule prohibiting players from kneeling during the national anthem, after a vote by all of its members at its annual meeting.

The move, definitively confirming the decision taken last year by the USSF board of directors, was approved by 71% of voters, with 29% of votes against.

The rule was introduced in 2017, after female star Megan Rapinoe knelt during the anthem at an international game in September 2016, in solidarity with former NFL star Colin Kaepernick, who had it. made a month earlier to denounce police violence against blacks.

NFL under fire from critics

Explaining the decision to repeal the rule last year, the USSF said it was wrong and reflected the federation's inability to address the concerns of blacks and other minorities.

The Federation faced increasing pressure last year to revise the rule after nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, the black man suffocated during his arrest in Minneapolis.

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