An anonymous Dallas Cowboys player says owner Jerry Jones did a 180 on the team with regard to his stance on the national anthem matters.
Two weeks ago, Jones joined his players on the field prior to their “Monday Night Football” game against the Arizona Cardinals and got down and kneeled with them before the anthem. These actions came days after President Trump made his infamous “son of a b—-” comment about those who kneel. Many other team owners joined their players in displays of unity that weekend.
Two weeks later, Jones’ involvement in the kneel is coming across as nothing more than an act. That’s because the Cowboys owner, apparently under pressure from Trump, said that any Cowboys player who disrespects the flag won’t play for the team.
Here’s how one player described it:
#Cowboys player to me on J. Jones mandate to stand: "I've never heard this tone from Jerry, ever. Goes against everything he told us in Arz"
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) October 11, 2017
As a team owner, Jones wants the kneeling to stop because it turns fans away from the sport and therefore is bad for business. The matter is tricky though, because it’s highly problematic for the president of the country to be dictating the behavior of citizens with whom he is unsatisfied.
It seems clear that Jones has alienated at least one player by seemingly flip-flopping on the divisive issue.
