Updated: 5:15 P.M. 
 
 Senate Republican leaders have sent letters warning six professional sports leagues not to provide the Obama administration any assistance in promoting Obamacare. 
 
 The letters, dated June 27, warn the chiefs of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Professional Golf Association and NASCAR that partnering with the administration to publicize the benefits of the health care law would damage their reputations. 
 
 “Given the divisiveness and persistent unpopularity of this bill, it is difficult to understand why an organization like yours would risk damaging its inclusive and apolitical brand by lending its name to its promotion,” wrote Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX). 
 
 The letters come days after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she’s spoken with the NFL about potentially partnering to let people know the benefits of the Affordable Care Act ahead of the implementation of its major components. (She said there was no deal yet.) The Republican senators rattled off a slew of conservative arguments against the law, stressing polls that signal its unpopularity with the public. 
 
 The letter also suggests the Obama administration could be threatening the pro sports leagues to extract support for Obamacare: 
 
 We have long been concerned by the Obama Administration’s record of using the threat of policy retaliation to solicit support for its policies or to silence its critics. Should the administration or its allies suggest that there will be any policy consequence for your decision not to participate in their outreach efforts, we urge you to resist any such pressure and to contact us immediately so that we may conduct appropriate oversight. 
 
 Republicans have been working feverishly to gum up implementation of the Affordable Care Act. And they’ve launched investigations into HHS and Sebelius for asking health industry groups to help promote the law. The senators warned the pro sports leagues that joining forces with the administration on an issue like this would be unprecedented. 
 
 “It is difficult for us to remember another occasion when major sports league took public sides in such a highly polarized public debate,” McConnell and Cornyn wrote. “Yet given this administration’s public request of your assistance in promoting this unpopular law, we felt it important to provide you with a fuller accounting of the facts before you made such a decision.” 
 
 An HHS spokesperson declined to comment on the letters. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
 
 Democratic aides point out that it’s nothing new for political leaders to partner with private organizations on behalf of their constituents, citing as one example the 2007 partnership between Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and the Boston Red Sox to promote Romneycare. McConnell and Cornyn argued in their letters that there were “key differences” between the two laws, observing that one was bipartisan and the other passed on a partisan vote. 
 
 Meanwhile, House Republican Study Committee Chairman Steve Scalise (R-LA) sent letters dated Thursday to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NBA Commissioner David Stern seeking answers to three questions about what HHS has asked of them with regard to “promotion or implementation” of Obamacare. Scalise asked them to provide details. 
 
 “Given the harmful impact on millions of your fans and the people of southeast Louisiana, coupled with the Obama Administration’s failure to meet the deadlines established to stand up their own law, I would caution you against being coerced into doing their dirty work for them,” Scalise wrote. “Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or if you’re uncomfortable responding in writing due to concerns about inappropriate or unwelcomed pressure from the Administration to cooperate with the implementation of [Obamacare].” 
 
 LATE UPDATE: 
 
 NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told TPM the league has “no plans” to engage on Obamacare. 
 
 “We have responded to the letters we received from members of Congress to inform them we currently have no plans to engage in this area and have had no substantive contact with the administration about PPACA’s implementation,” McCarthy said in an email. 
 
 Asked about the suggestion in the letters that the administration may be threatening or pressuring the NFL, McCarthy responded, “Not correct. [Q]uite simply, the NFL, NBA and others were contacted by the administration. We made no commitments nor discussed any substantive details with the administration.” 
 
 McConnell’s spokesman Michael Brumas, asked to elaborate on the alleged threat, told TPM the senator “is not alleging the administration has threatened or pressured the sports leagues. See the next to the last graf of the letter which says ‘Should the administration,’ etc.” 
 
 McConnell Cornyn Letter to NFL Obamacare ||||| Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will resign from President Obama’s Cabinet on Friday, ceding her role as the top official in charge of ObamaCare. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 Obama intends to replace Sebelius, who has come under fire for the botched rollout of the federal ObamaCare exchange, with Sylvia Burwell, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. The announcement will be made at the White House on Friday morning. 
 
 Sebelius's long-expected departure comes just two weeks after the end of ObamaCare's first enrollment period, which culminated in the administration exceeded its original target of enrolling 7 million people in the exchanges. 
 
 This week Sebelius said 7.5 million people had now signed up for a plan, and she'll be able to leave her post arguing that the healthcare law is in a good place. 
 
 But the victory for the White House came after a troubled launch for HealthCare.gov that created a firestorm for Obama and sapped his party's political momentum from the government shutdown last fall. 
 
 Democrats are worried they will lose control of the Senate this fall, and many in the party blame Sebelius in large part for their predicament. 
 
 A White House official said Sebelius told Obama of her decision to leave in early March, and that the president was greatful for her contributions. 
 
 Despite the problem-plagued rollout, Sebelius was kept on as the administration’s public face of the law over the course of the six-month enrollment period. 
 
 As recently as April 1, the White House said the president had “full confidence” in Sebelius. She was present at Obama’s healthcare law victory speech in the Rose Garden earlier this month, but was not publicly thanked by the president at that time. 
 
 In a statement, the Health and Human Services Department lauded Sebelius's work in the administration. 
 
 "From her work on Head Start, to expanding mental health coverage, to advancing cutting-edge health care research and, of course, her unwavering leadership in implementing the Affordable Care Act, Secretary Sebelius often calls her work here the most meaningful of her life," the statement from spokeswoman Erin Shields Britt said. "As she closes this chapter, Secretary Sebelius is extremely thankful to President Obama and very proud of the historic accomplishments of this administration." 
 
 It’s been a rough six months for Sebelius. She and her staff were called to testify in front of dozens of congressional panels, the media flocked to every event she participated in, and the agencies she oversaw were under enormous pressure to provide updates and data on the rollout. 
 
 Lawmakers from both parties had called for her to resign. The Obama administration insisted it would hold officials responsible for their work, but quietly signaled that drastic measures couldn’t take place while the federal website struggled to get off the ground. 
 
 One of ObamaCare's most vocal critics, Rep. Issa, (R-Calif.) declared that Sebelius' "tenure as the head of the Department of Health and Human Services may be at an end, but Americans will be dealing with the repercussions of the president's health law for a very long time," he said in a statement. 
 
 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, “It’s fitting that nearly one year after the primary legislative architect of Obamacare predicted it would be a train wreck that the government official most responsible for overseeing it reportedly is resigning," according to a statement. 
 
 "Regardless of the administration’s public explanation for the Secretary’s exit, Obamacare has been a rolling disaster and her resignation is cold comfort to the millions of Americans who were deceived about what it would mean for them and their families." 
 
 Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) also stated that Sebelius has one of Washington's tougest jobs, "implementing ObamaCare, a flawed law that continues to fall woefully short of its promises to the American people." 
 
 "While we haven’t always agreed, Secretary Sebelius did the best she could during the tumultuous and volatile rollout of the law," Hatch said. "I thank her for her service and wish her and her family all the best in their future endeavors.” 
 
 Sebelius had served as secretary since 2009. She was governor of Kansas prior to that. 
 
 Burwell, the woman that Obama will nominate to replace her, is a veteran of the Clinton administration who has served the past year as Obama's budget director. 
 
 She was confirmed to that post in a 96-0 vote last April, buoyed by her reputation as a key player in Clinton's push to balance the budget during the 1990s. Burwell also served as the head of the Wal-Mart foundation, and the president of the global development program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 
 
 The White House official described her as a proven manager and someone the president had relied upon. 
 
 Sebelius had served as HHS secretary since the earliest days of the Obama administration, and worked for years to lay the groundwork for the launch of the health exchanges by overseeing a slew of new regulations. 
 
 She was Obama's second choice for the position. Her nomination came after a tax scandal prompted former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to withdraw his name from consideration. 
 
 Sebelius was seen as an occasional liability for the administration, making comments that fed Republican attacks. 
 
 
 
 She struggled to defend the healthcare law in media appearances, and her attempts at downplaying the problems were lampooned during "Saturday Night Live." 
 
 
 
 One sketch, which poked fun at Sebelius as an upbeat manager in denial, led one Republican senator to blast the secretary as a "laughingstock." 
 
 Sebelius on several occasions told lawmakers that no additional rollout delays were imminent, remarks that were quickly proven false. 
 
 
 
 House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) subpoenaed her for records in October, and earlier this year, threatened to investigate her for perjury. 
 
 Sebelius and others in the administration also infuriated Republicans by enacting a string of unilateral changes to the law. 
 
 The controversy that surrounded Sebelius suggests Burwell will face a contentious confirmation battle in the Senate. However, due to filibuster changes enacted last year, Democrats should be able to confirm her with a simple majority. 
 
 
 
 Still, Republicans pounced on Sebelius's resignation as a broader sign of the healthcare law's failures and vowed to continue beating the drum against the law ahead of the midterm elections. 
 
 
 
 "Secretary Sebelius oversaw a disastrous rollout of ObamaCare, but anyone can see that there are more problems on the way," said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. 
 
 
 
 "No matter who is in charge of HHS, ObamaCare will continue to be a disaster and will continue to hurt hardworking Americans. It's time for President Obama to admit that Democrats' signature law is a failure and heed Republican calls for patient-centered healthcare reform." 
 
 — This story was last updated at 10:07 p.m. ||||| Dolphins players before a game this month in London (Henry Browne/Getty Images) 
 
 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that team owners will discuss a plan when they meet next week for dealing with the raging national controversy over players’ protests during the national anthem, adding that while the league respects the right of its players to express their opinions, it believes they should stand during the playing of the anthem. 
 
 While stopping short of saying the NFL would require its players to stand, Goodell strongly suggested in a letter to NFL teams that at next week’s meeting the league would propose to owners that players be required to do so, while also providing a platform to recognize their community activism. 
 
 “Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem,” Goodell wrote to NFL club presidents and chief executives. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.” 
 
 Goodell said the league’s plan would include “an in-season platform to promote the work of players” on social issues, “and that will help to promote positive change in our country.” 
 
 Next week’s meeting in New York was previously scheduled, but the ongoing controversy over the national anthem forced the issue to the top of the agenda. “There is no fixed proposal. We will have a discussion around all of these issues,” said one person familiar with the league’s deliberations. 
 
 Goodell has had recent discussions with owners and player leaders over the anthem issue. One set of conversations has come with a group of players including Malcolm Jenkins, Anquan Boldin, Michael Bennett and Torrey Smith. Those players have asked for official league support of players’ community activism. 
 
 “I expect and look forward to a full and open discussion of these issues when we meet next week in New York,” Goodell wrote. “Everyone involved in the game needs to come together on a path forward to continue to be a force for good within our communities, protect the game, and preserve our relationship with fans throughout the country. The NFL is at its best when we ourselves are unified. In that spirit, let’s resolve that next week we will meet this challenge in a unified and positive way.” 
 
 Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, was asked about Goodell’s letter at her daily briefing and said: “We would support the NFL coming out and asking players to stand, as the president has done … Our position hasn’t changed on that front. We’re glad to see NFL taking positive steps in that direction.” 
 
 The NFL Players Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Goodell’s memo. 
 
 Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications and public affairs, declined in a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning to give a direct answer when asked whether the league believes that a team, under current rules, is within its rights to compel its players to stand for the anthem. 
 
 Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday that any Cowboys player who protests during the anthem and, in Jones’s view, thereby shows disrespect to the American flag will be benched and will not play. 
 
 [Trump renews criticism of ESPN, suspended anchor Jemele Hill] 
 
 Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also has said he expects his team’s players to stand for the anthem. The Dolphins enacted a policy this past weekend by their coach, Adam Gase, in which players must stand for the anthem if on the team’s sideline, but have the option to remain in the locker room or in the tunnel leading to the field for the anthem. 
 
 “We’re going to do this together as an ownership group and a league with the players,” Lockhart said Tuesday. 
 
 [Sally Jenkins: There are two sides to the NFL anthem debate. Neither is totally right or totally wrong.] 
 
 Owners are scheduled to meet next Tuesday and Wednesday in Manhattan. It is their regular fall meeting and was scheduled before the anthem controversy was amplified by recent comments made by President Trump criticizing players for protesting during the national anthem. 
 
 “I think everyone at this point is frustrated by this situation,” Lockhart said, and added: “The commissioner and the owners do want the players to stand.” 
 
 The owners’ meeting will include “a discussion about the entire issue, including the [anthem] policy,” said Lockhart, who declined to make a prediction about the outcome of those deliberations. 
 
 Lockhart said “nothing has changed” regarding the league’s view of enforcing anthem-related guidelines in its game operations manual. That manual, distributed to teams by the league, says that players must be on the sideline for the anthem and should be standing. Failure to be on the sideline could result in discipline being imposed, the manual says. The league has not issued any discipline this season for such violations. 
 
 “It doesn’t say the players must stand,” Lockhart said. “It says the players should stand.” 
 
 Lockhart said he does not know whether DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFLPA, and other union representatives were told by Goodell and New York Giants co-owner John Mara during a meeting last week that players would not face discipline for protests during the anthem, as Smith said Monday. 
 
 “Last week both the commissioner and the chair of the NFL Management Council John Mara were clear when they assured our union leaders, in the presence of other owners, that they would respect the Constitutional rights of our members without retribution,” Smith said in a written statement Monday. 
 
 Lockhart said he does not believe that any potential changes to the sport’s anthem policies would have to be collectively bargained with the players’ union. 
 
 Those guidelines are spelled out in the game operations manual, not the publicly available NFL rule book. 
 
 The NFL’s game operations manual says: “The national anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the national anthem. 
 
 “During the national anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the national anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.” 
 
 The Cowboys are on their bye week and do not play this weekend, so their next game will come after the owners’ meeting. The Dolphins play Sunday at Atlanta. 
 
 Three Dolphins players last weekend were not on the field for the anthem. Two Cowboys players raised their fists at the conclusion of the anthem Sunday night, but Jones said Sunday night he had not seen that. 
 
 Trump has been unyielding. He said he instructed Vice President Pence to leave Sunday’s Colts-49ers game in Indianapolis if players protested during the national anthem, and later praised Pence’s early exit. Trump suggested Tuesday on Twitter that what he described as “massive tax breaks” received by the NFL should be addressed. 
 
 “Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!” Trump wrote. 
 
 Lockhart pointed out that the NFL relinquished its tax-exempt status in 2015 and that individual teams were taxed even when the league had that status. 
 
 “Even when we had tax exempt status, it did not result in a tax break …. We do not receive any massive tax breaks, none at all,” Lockhart said. 
 
 Some owners seem wary of the business implications of the anthem controversy and the public feud with the White House. To this point, there has been no indication of any major sponsors dropping the NFL. The league has disputed a link between the protests and sagging TV ratings. But the NFL has acknowledged that it knows many fans are angry and sponsors are wary of the league engaging in a very heated and public political debate. 
 
 David Nakamura contributed to this report. 
 
 Read more: 
 
 Tony Dungy says there’s more to player demonstrations than Jerry Jones is acknowledging 
 
 Mike Ditka says he knows of no oppression in the U.S. for ‘100 years’ 
 
 Cracks emerge in initial show of solidarity between players, owners
– The latest political skirmish over ObamaCare comes in the unlikeliest of places: the world of sports. As in, the NFL has found itself compelled to issue a statement saying it doesn't plan to help the White House promote the plan. How did it come to this? As Talking Points Memo explains, it started when health chief Kathleen Sebelius suggested earlier this week that the Obama administration would enlist the help of the NFL and its star athletes to spread the word about the coming changes. That prompted top Senate Republicans to write a letter to the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NHL, and other leagues strongly suggesting that they butt out because ObamaCare is characterized by such "divisiveness and persistent unpopularity," reports the Washington Post. The NFL's response? "We currently have no plans to engage in this area and have had no substantive contact with the administration" about the new law, says a spokesman. The NHL and MLB also said they had no plans to help. The flap speaks to the coming PR war ahead of the law's 2014 rollout, notes the Post.