RailBoss

McLEAN, Va. — As the NFL and the NFL Players Association continue to search for common ground on how to address protests during the national anthem, one Hall of Fame coach has offered his own solution.

Tony Dungy told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday that, if he were still coaching today, he would give members of his team some time during his own nationally televised press conferences to speak about issues that are important to their communities.

"As a coach, my challenge would be, well what’s the best way to help these guys get their message across?" the NBC Sports analyst said. "And the best way is not three minutes before the national anthem."

When asked about how he would respond to players who argue that the protests bring a unique awareness to their causes, in part because the demonstrations make some people uncomfortable, Dungy said he would tell them: "Good, we can make people uncomfortable during the press conference."

"You want to raise awareness, I’m going to give you a much bigger platform," the former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach continued. "Instead of just 65,000 people at the stadium, I’m going to give you access to millions of people, and it’ll be re-run and you’ll be able to articulate exactly what your point is. ... I think most guys would say that is a better way."