Nearly 50 years ago, worldwide backlash was not enough to deter athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos from raising a black power fist on the Olympic stage.

Last week, nor was a $89 million dollar bribe enough to make NFL players stand during the anthem.

According to lovebscott.com, NFL owners reportedly offered to donate the whopping sum to two African-American charities over a seven-year period, in exchange for a cease and desist of the weekly protests. The desperate owners even proposed allocating some of the money to the Players Coalition, to donate to other social justice causes as they see fit.

Sunday came and went, but the demonstrations did not. Left tackle Russel Okung’s fist remained a black beacon in the air and Marshawn Lynch a powerful seated figure, while the Saints knelt as a unified black and gold front.

Across stadiums nationwide, their defiant message rang loud and clear over the Star Spangled Banner: we are not to be bought, and we are not going anywhere.

The Players Coalition expressed the sentiment in unison, but the alleged bribe has already cost them prominent members: Michael Thomas and Eric Reid.

As of last Wednesday, the NFL safeties both defected from the coalition, citing idealistic differences with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins and former wide receiver Anquan Boldin as the reason.

Whereas Jenkins and the remaining coalition are intrigued by the philanthropic proposal, Reid seems concerned that the offer is another PR tactic, a stunt to capitalize on positive media attention. Per a recent Washington Post article, the coalition had reached a “tentative agreement” with the owners over the offer last week.

But alas, the players’ schism is just one more symptom of the NFL’s festering issues.

For months, commissioner Roger Goodell has bandaged the situation, barely keeping the NFL afloat and out of national headlines.

As the season has progressed, so has the controversy surrounding the league. Between fan boycotting, owners’ angry threats to bench players and Trump’s egregious condemnations, the fever has reached a boiling point.

So whether this is truly a humanitarian effort for the NFL or an expensive payout remains to be seen, but the diagnosis is clear. America is bleeding, and the political bloodshed is seeping onto the turf of our hallowed football stadiums.

The dissent on the field is just a reflection of the division within our country, and no million dollar baby is going to mend that.