Former NFL football player Anquan Boldin, left, Philadelphia Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins, second left, Miami Dolphins' Kenny Stills, third left, and San Francisco 49ers' Eric Reid, leave NFL headquarters after meetings, in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Former NFL football player Anquan Boldin, left, Philadelphia Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins, second left, Miami Dolphins' Kenny Stills, third left, and San Francisco 49ers' Eric Reid, leave NFL headquarters after meetings, in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Credit: Richard Drew

New York — NFL players and owners held an unusual meeting on Tuesday to discuss social issues, a session both sides termed positive and productive.

What was not discussed at any length was the divisive topic of the national anthem that has caught the attention of President Donald Trump.

“We spent today talking about issues that the players are trying to bring attention to,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “That was the entire focus.”

Asked if the players committed to standing during the anthem, Goodell responded: “We did not ask for that.”

A group of 11 owners and more than a dozen players met for more than two hours at the league’s headquarters. Among the topics discussed was enhancing the players’ platforms for speaking out on social issues.

“We heard what they had to say, and they heard us,” Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said. “It’s open talks, and that’s a good thing.”

The NFL’s policy on the national anthem did not come up. That policy states that the players “should” stand for the anthem, and some have suggested the league would seek to change that to “must” stand. Goodell said in a memo to the teams last week that the NFL prefers for players to stand during The Star-Spangled Banner.

Ross called the session “constructive,” and Colts defensive back Darius Butler termed it “positive.”

Goodell spoke briefly before heading to further league meetings. He emphasized the commitment on the part of the players and the NFL “to work together on issues of social justice.”

Elliott Given Reprieve

New York — Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott has been granted another legal reprieve in the running back’s fight to avoid a six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations.

A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the league’s suspension on Tuesday night, clearing Elliott to play Sunday at San Francisco.

U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty’s ruling comes five days after a federal appeals court overturned a Texas court’s injunction that had kept Elliott on the field this season.

Crotty granted the request for a temporary restraining order pending a hearing before the presiding judge, Katherine Polk Fialla.

Elliott, last year’s NFL rushing leader as a rookie, was barred from the team’s facility on Tuesday as players returned from their off week. The NFL placed him on the suspended list on Friday, a day after the ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.