Former Dallas Cowboys Star Emmitt Smith Doesn’t Agree With Jerry Jones On Banning Anthem Protests At All


Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has come under fire for attempting to bench his players if they took a knee during the national anthem. Fueled by Donald Trump’s ongoing rhetoric and tweets criticizing a “son of a b*tch” like Colin Kaepernick while taking shots at NFL league commissioner Roger Goodell for not banning protests sooner, Jones created a firestorm with labor unions, activists, players, and fans alike.

Well, former Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith has been quite vocal on his feelings about Colin Kaepernick, the First Amendment, anthem protests, and Trump’s intrusion into the conversation. Smith wonders why an NFL player’s rights and freedoms end where the terms of their contracts begin.

On Kaepernick

The Pro Football Hall of Famer told Black Sports Online at a charity event in August that Colin Kaepernick should have a job in the NFL. The still-unsigned free agent has the talent, he said, the right to speak out, as well as the right to play. Dallas was one of the many teams who added a quarterback to its roster and like everyone else, the cowboys organization passed on Kaepernick.

“He deserves to be back in the game, regardless,” Smith said.

“He is an American citizen and he does have rights and his rights should not be violated just like no one else’s rights should be violated.”

Protest ‘Message Has Been Distorted’

Smith told ESPN 103.3’s J Dub City in late September that while he was proud of the protests, he thinks that the “message has been distorted.” Freedom isn’t just for the wealthy and the powerful, Smith said. He explained that while Americans have protested gender identity in public bathrooms, equal pay for equal work, and pretty much anything else one might feel strongly about, he finds it curious that protesting police brutality aimed at Black people is so problematic– and that Trump can lead the charge against it.

“So all of a sudden you have leadership at the highest level telling you you’re an S.O.B. for doing this and disrespecting,” Smith said. “… No, you’re not disrespecting the flag. You are respecting the values of everything that’s good about this United States of America. Period.”

Are NFL Players Really Free?

Despite Commissioner Goodell’s letter to the NFL teams expressing his belief that players should stand for the anthem, the matter is set to be hashed out at the owners meetings this week in New York. According to the Washington Post, NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and Goodell have committed to unite and “to deal with these issues in a civil and constructive way.” The outcome could either set a new precedent in professional football or turn the playing field into a hotbed of civil unrest.

Considering his own family history which he traced through slavery back to Benin, Africa, Smith likened the NFL combine to a “meat market” where slaves were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Reflecting on that legacy, it became vividly clear to him just how important the First Amendment is to NFL players and how wrong it is for Jones, Trump, Goodell, or anybody else for that matter, to censor them. It has left Smith with a burning question: “If I can’t support something or have the voice to speak, am I truly free?”

Good question.

[Featured Image by Brandon Wade/AP Images]

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