Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Angry Players May Kneel During National Anthem Out Of Spite Over Jerry Jones’ Demand
The Dallas Cowboys are rumored to be headed for some major turmoil, with players increasingly unhappy with the edict from Jerry Jones that all players will be standing for the national anthem and some possibly lashing out by taking a knee.
Since Colin Kaepernick first sat out the national anthem last year in protest of police brutality against minorities, the demonstrations spread to a handful of other players across the league. The protest then went league-wide earlier this season when Donald Trump publicly criticized the players taking part, calling on owners to fire those players. That led to hundreds of players taking part in some form of demonstration during the anthem.
The Cowboys were one of the many teams to take part in a team-wide show of unity, with the entire Cowboys team taking a knee together before the national anthem in last week’s game against the Packers.
But when it comes to protests that take place during the anthem itself, Jerry Jones has put his foot down.
Last week, the Cowboys owner said any player who refuses to stand for the national anthem will be benched.
“If there is anything disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period,” he said (via Yahoo Sports). “We’re going to respect the flag and I’m going to create the perception of it.”
Rumors surrounding the Dallas Cowboys indicate that this edict has led to turmoil in the locker room, and the frustrations are starting to boil over. This week, CBS Sports reported that some players may be ready to take on their owner and take a knee during the national anthem.
“This wasn’t something that was dominating conversations in that locker room up until this week,” an agent who is close to several players on the Cowboys told the outlet. “It wasn’t something guys were really talking about that much, inside the locker room or to their agents. At first, some guys were frustrated by what Jerry said (Sunday), because this hadn’t really been a big issue or distraction for them, and by the middle of the week I know some were pissed. It was almost like he started daring somebody on his team to take a knee. At least that’s how some players started to look at it.”
My latest: The NFL protest debate is NOT about the flag.
Its about about putting black people in their place.https://t.co/ZEbqpuGDR2
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) October 13, 2017
While there was a sense of unity after the team’s communal show during last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers, reports indicate that this has since faded in the Dallas Cowboys locker room. It is not clear if any Dallas Cowboys players are actually planning to take a knee during the national anthem, but some believe that the threat from Jerry Jones to bench any player who demonstrates would not be enforceable. A report from Vox noted that Jones would be in violation of labor laws if he were to bench players because of their political beliefs or exhibitions of free speech.
[Featured Image by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images]
