The president was really throwing around his weight and meant business about the national anthem protests.
In addition to tweeting his feelings on the matter, President Donald Trump also called Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones multiple times Monday ahead of the team’s game with the Arizona Cardinals on “Monday Night Football” to talk about the protests, according to a report.
NBC Dallas Fort Worth’s Jean-Jacques Taylor reports the news:
2 sources told @nbcdfw President Trump blew up Jerry’s cell Mon calling him 4 times throughout the day to talk about anthem stuff. Wow.
— Jean-Jacques Taylor (@JJT_Journalist) September 28, 2017
Jones and the Cowboys ended up on somewhat of a compromise with respect to their handling of the anthem. The entire team kneeled in unity prior to the anthem, then rose and stood for the entire song.
The Dallas Cowboys linked arms and then knelt prior to the national anthem. pic.twitter.com/PgvqnGyrJK
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 26, 2017
President Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he spoke with Jones on Tuesday about the matter.
Spoke to Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys yesterday. Jerry is a winner who knows how to get things done. Players will stand for Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
After Monday’s game, Jones explained his team’s actions.
“Our players wanted to make a statement about unity and we wanted to make a statement about equality,” Jones said at a postgame news conference. “They were very much aware that statement, when made or when attempted to be made in and a part of the recognition of our flag, cannot only lead to criticism but also controversy.
“It was real easy for everybody in our organization to see that the message of unity, the message of equality was getting, if you will, pushed aside or diminished by the controversy. We even had the circumstances that it was being made into a controversy.”
Jones being with his players and going down to a knee came as a surprise given the thoughts he expressed on the anthem protests.
