NFL’s changing vantage on peaceful protest in what appeared to be progressive terms. He talked about “listening” and having “grace” when it came to protests. And he said all of this without a hint of his seemingly immovable stance from past seasons, when Jones expected his players to stand for the national anthem with their toes on one singular line." data-reactid="16">Less than two weeks ago, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones framed the NFL’s shift in perspective on the peaceful protest in what appeared to be progressive terms. He spoke of “listening” and having “grace” when it came to demonstrations. And he said it all without a hint of his seemingly steadfast stance from previous seasons, when Jones expected his players to represent the national anthem with their toes in one line.
Well, fun thing about “then” and “now” – the more Jones talks, the more these two timelines start to sound like the same.
NFL’s changing stance on when peaceful protest can occur." data-reactid="24">Essentially, Jones said on Tuesday that he was looking to repeat that 2017 compromise in some form – not necessarily create a new compromise that would be more in line with the NFL’s shift in stance on when peaceful protests can take place.
Jerry Jones seems to always want to compromise on the manifestations of the anthem, which is a little different from the rest of the NFL. (Photo AP / LM Otero)
Asked during his radio appearance whether the hosts were correct in deciphering that Jones was looking for a compromise similar to that of 2017, the Cowboys owner said that was correct.
“Yes you are,” Jones said. “It’s fair. It was, in the end, a recognition that we were supporting our players. I knelt with our players, as you know, in a personal capacity. But as a team we all got together. kneeling together before the hymn, then we defended the hymn to recognize what its symbol is for America. I thought it was fine. This is the kind of thing we will be looking to see if we can implement. “
NFL teams and the messaging from the league office over the last several months, which has become more open to embracing players engaging in peaceful protests, including during the anthem. Jones appeared to skirt the edge of that messaging earlier in August, when he kept his position on protesting vague." data-reactid="38">At the very least, this appears to be a departure from some other NFL teams and the League office’s message over the past few months, which has become more open to embracing players engaging in peaceful protests, including during the hymn. Jones appeared to sidestep the edge of that message earlier in August, when he kept his protest stance vague.
This position has come to light for two reasons. The first is the reality that Jones took a hard line against his team’s protests after his kneeling moment in 2017 against the Cardinals, and the second is that in mid-August at least two Dallas players (the players defensive line Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy) had made their intentions to kneel in the season opener publicly known.
McCoy has since suffered a late season injury and has been cut. But Poe reiterated his position on Sunday, telling reporters his intention was still to kneel in the opener – although he has yet to meet with Jones to discuss it.
“I still intend to kneel down,” Poe said. “But we haven’t had a conversation yet. But we had a team meeting where he kind of expressed a few feelings. He always told us he had an open door so we could talk to him anytime. I can’t wait to take this and get into his ear and see how he feels about it. … There are still words to be had between us too, so we will do it.
“I’m not saying that anyone is wrong not to do it or whatever their cause,” Poe continued. “But I just felt like I just wanted to do it for myself and for the statement I wanted to make.”
Jones said on Tuesday he planned to visit Poe, but appeared to reiterate that the team will continue to be sensitive to fans who don’t want to see the players protest during the anthem.
“By the time we get the first game, I will have visited with him, more than likely, on an individual basis,” Jones said of Poe. “All of that will come to play and we’ll have a moment that recognizes what he’s trying to do and the way he’s trying to do it. And everyone is going to be sensitive – on the other hand – to be sensitive to what it is. We’re here to ask fans to follow us and listen to us. We are well aware of the problem and well aware of the situation for the Dallas Cowboys fans. It will all be put in the hopper. We will see how we handle this.
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