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Many NFL players are on record as saying they plan to take a knee this fall during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice following the recent deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.
Players have said the protest is not against the American flag, but instead of oppression they feel people of color have suffered for hundreds of years.
Penn State's football players typically are not on the field when the national anthem is played, about 10 minutes before kickoff at Beaver Stadium. But that could change.
The university told the Philadelphia Inquirer it's reconsidering its pre-game tradition.
"We will be reviewing all aspects for game day for all 31 of our sports, as we regularly do," Penn State's athletic department told the paper. "This review may include pre-game timing and the location of teams during the national anthem. We continue to support our student-athletes in using their voice and their platform to protest in a peaceful manner in order to affect change."
College athletes are being encouraged to exercise their freedom of expression.
New Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, the first African American commissioner of a Power-5 conference, is taking firm steps toward ending racism.
Warren has established the Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition for the Big Ten and told USA Today he will support athletes kneeling during the anthem.
"It is critical that our student-athletes possess their rights to free speech, their rights to peaceful protest, and we will work to empower them in creating meaningful change," Warren wrote to conference leaders. "We must listen to our young people. Our children and future generations deserve better. We are either part of the problem or part of the solution. The Big Ten Conference will be part of the solution as we actively and constructively combat racism and hate in our country."
Penn State has nine members on the Big Ten's coalition, including head football coach James Franklin, who is African American, and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour.
Other representatives include men's soccer coach Jeff Cook, women's lacrosse coach Missy Doherty, men's basketball student-athlete Myles Dread, women's swimming and diving student-athlete Olivia Jack, women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger, men's and women's swimming and diving head coach Tim Murphy, football student-athlete P.J. Mustipher and faculty athletics representative Dennis Scanlon.
PSU standout linebacker Micah Parsons did not specifically address the anthem during a media availability earlier this week. But he did say the team will be unified.
"There's always conversations like that that come up, and I just always tell people it can't be an individual thing," he said. "Everyone has to be together, because everyone has to understand the magnitude of how far you want to go with this. If you want to come and raise awareness, then do it together. The fact that you bring a lot of unity with it, that's powerful, and being together as a team is powerful. I don't really say too much on social injustices, because we all know what's going on. We're all aware of the injustices that go around. It's not something that everyone needs to speak on, because we all know. But it's just something that, it's the world we live in and we got to keep striving to make a change."