NFL owners on Tuesday mulled the possibility of assessing an in-game penalty against teams whose players kneel in protest during the national anthem.

Sports Illustrated reported that NFL owners met in Atlanta and discussed how to handle anthem protests moving forward.

One suggestion was to have the home team decide whether both teams would be on the field for "The Star-Spangled Banner," or remain in their respective locker rooms. If the teams chose to come out, a team would be assessed a 15-yard penalty if any of their players protested during the anthem.

Sports journalists took to Twitter and roundly criticized the concept.