Here’s what was said in the NFL’s private players-owners meeting about national anthem protests

“The damage Trump’s going to do is done.”

Roger Goodell, a collection of NFL owners, and several prominent players held a closed-door meeting in October in New York to discuss how the league and its players would approach player protests during the season. The New York Times obtained a recording of that meeting, and it illuminates how the league’s power brokers operate behind closed doors.

The meeting was prompted by President Donald Trump’s vocal criticism of players kneeling during...