Cowboys owner Jerry Jones began his first public comments since George Floyd’s death on May 25 with a premise.
“Everyone in this country knows where I stand and where the Cowboys are with regards to the flag,” Jones said at a press conference Wednesday. “Everyone also understands where I stand to support our players – the Dallas Cowboys players.”
Jones’ position as of mid-August is not explicitly for or against kneeling during the national anthem, a point of contention between many players and several league owners since Colin Kaepernick s ‘is kneeling for the first time in 2016.
Where Jones stands, he says, seeks to embody the word “grace.”
“That was then, two years ago,” Jones said of his 2018 stance that players have to stand “with their feet on the line” for the anthem. “It’s now. We’ve had some very, very awkward moments.
“I have nothing to prove about my position with the flag and the position of the Cowboys. I have nothing to prove about my players and my player support. What I want us to show off and be a part of is a word called “grace”. Not only grace in our actions, but also grace in our understanding of where they come from. I want our players to understand the perception where they came from regarding the flag and the sensitivity there and the many memories there. I want our fans to understand… where our players are coming from.
“Those who want to do that, kneel down, don’t feel like they’re dishonoring the flag.”
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Jones said he would consider both sides – sentimentality for the American flag and frustration over social injustices in the country – as the team decide how to handle the anthem as soon as it opens on September 13.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, however, doesn’t need to be convinced.
Prescott has said he will fully support his teammates who want to kneel during the anthem.
“That’s what it is, isn’t it?” That we all have this choice, ”Prescott said. “I think that’s the biggest part of this country, that we all have that choice. We have the choice to do whatever we want, to kneel down or believe in this religion or this religion, to come from this background and do it again, to come out of this economic agreement or to be weighed down by oppression and still defeated.
“One hundred percent I support anyone’s personal opinion.
Prescott’s personal opinions have driven him to action since Floyd’s death. In June, Prescott pledged $ 1 million to support police reform. He explained on Wednesday that he did not think cutting funding for police services was the solution, but believed there was corruption that needed to be reformed from within. Prescott is among the Cowboys players who in recent years have worked with local police officers, judges, and others to think about how to build trust between law enforcement and communities in North Texas.
Prescott also wrote a letter to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt in support of the release of Julius Jones, a black inmate sentenced to death in 1999.
“There was so much wrong in it, so much wrong in his conviction, so much wrong with his trial, that I just felt compelled to do something about it and write a letter and try to make changes with this, ”Prescott said.
Jones said he was “so proud” of Prescott for using his platform in this way.
“These are the active aspects needed to solve the problem and contribute to social justice,” said the owner and general manager.
Meanwhile, Prescott has refused to criticize Jones’ previous silence on social justice throughout the summer months. Prescott recognized the delicate balance between listening and speaking, especially for Jones. Prescott, who identifies as black and multiracial, said that even as a quarterback for a legendary franchise, he starts to worry every time he hears sirens about the police stopping him. .
“You want leaders to come forward and you want leaders to speak out, but you also have to look at their perspective and understand why they’re doing what they’re doing,” Prescott said. “I try to take the point of view of others before going immediately to judge them and I hope that is what he was doing. He was trying to listen and put together all he could before going out and saying his simple point of view. Because his background and his beliefs, this is all different from a lot of other people.
“Not that he can’t understand, but it can be difficult for him to understand what other people may be going through right now.”
Jones insists he’s been listening, as he considers the perspectives of current and former Cowboys as well as former presidents.
“I have bunny ears,” he says. “I really do. Having said that, I listen. We will do it the way we think is as sensitive and has so much grace for each other’s genuine feelings in mind.
“I want to show the world that I can do it with grace and find the right solution.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein