South Florida police group hits back with powerful message after Miami Dolphins kneel during anthem

Despite a new NFL policy than prohibits protests during the national anthem, multiple Miami Dolphins players protested during the playing of the song before last Thursday's preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two kneeling and others raising their fists.

Now, one local police union is hitting back with a powerful message.

What's going on?

The Broward County Police Benevolent Association, one of South Florida's largest police unions, is responding to last Thursday's incident with their pocketbook.

In a post on Facebook, the group encouraged its members, and all South Florida law enforcement officers, to boycott the Miami Dolphins and the NFL. After all, many officers may take the protests personally since the point of the demonstrations is to protest how American police officers treat black people.

Specifically, the Broward PBA encouraged officers to return tickets bought at a discounted rate through an agreement between the union and the Miami Dolphins. According to the group, the team sought to honor first responders with the agreement.

"We entered into this partnership with the understanding that the Dolphins organization would require their players to stand for the National Anthem. This did not happen at last night's preseason game against Tampa Bay," the group wrote.

"As a result, the BCPBA will no longer participate in this ticket program, and we are asking all of our members, as well as members of the Dade County PBA and Palm Beach County PBA, not to participate either," the post said.

"If you have already purchased tickets to this game, we encourage you to call the Dolphins ticket office to request a refund because this organization obviously DOES NOT honor First Responders and the dangers they put themselves in every day," it continued.

The union said it would re-evaluate its stance if the NFL amends its policy regarding players who demonstrate during the national anthem, according to the Miami Herald.

What is the Dolphins' anthem policy?

Although team owner Stephen Ross encouraged players to stand for the anthem prior to Thursday's game, the team is still working on its formal policy.

The NFL is also working with the players' union to come to an agreement on appropriate pre-game demonstrations. The league previously released a policy requiring players to either stand for the anthem or sit in the locker room during pre-game festivities, but backtracked after pushback.