Jerry Jones isn’t the only person who doesn’t want his players protesting during the national anthem on game days.
On Monday, Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase confirmed that he has implemented a policy requiring players to either stand on the sidelines during “The Star-Spangled Banner” or remain in the tunnel. Gase said the decision did not come from ownership.
“It comes from me,” he revealed, via James Walker of ESPN.com. “I thought it was time for us to address it. … I’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of people. It doesn’t matter what I think. This is what we’re doing.”
Several Dolphins players had previously chosen to kneel during the anthem, including wide receiver Kenny Stills. Prior to Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, Stills chose to remain inside the tunnel along with tight end Julius Thomas and safety Michael Thomas.
“It’s not about what I think about or anything like that,” Stills explained. “It’s about the work that we are doing and it’s never been about the protest or the flag or any of that. So I just continue to focus on the work that we are doing in the community and we’ve got some plans and things in the work with the NFL and so that’s what we’re working on.”
Jones made the strongest comments from an owner to date on Sunday when he said any Dallas Cowboys player who protests during the national anthem is not going to play. Accoridng to one report, NFL owners have discussed the possibility of banning players from kneeling.
