LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey says he supports the NFL's new policy requiring players to stand for the national anthem or stay in the locker room.

McCaskey says the vote by NFL owners two weeks ago will "return the anthem to what it should be - a unifying force" even though the policy "isn't perfect."

McCaskey says players should stand. But he acknowledges those who kneeled the past two years to protest policy brutality and racial inequality raised "legitimate issues" that deserve action.