Jerry Jones made headlines after essentially putting into place a policy that all of his Dallas Cowboys players must stand during the national anthem or they will not be able to participate in the game. Jones stood by his statement when ESPN's Chris Mortensen interviewed him over the phone Monday, saying that there are "no exceptions". Jones' comments might seem shocking to some but it shows how the Owner of The Cowboys is concerned about his pockets than giving his players the chance to protest. The NFL has been called a business on many occasions, and Jerry Jones just cemented that idea.
Never had your back
Many recall when Donald Trump made his incendiary comments about players in the NFL kneeling or sitting during the playing of the national anthem. He essentially wanted the owners to take a stand and fire the players who did such actions and that sent shockwaves through the league. This got the NFL owners upset, as they don't like being told what to do, even if it's by the President of the United States. Jerry Jones and many other owners took a stand against those comments, locking arms and taking stands of "unity". Jerry Jones and his Cowboys team participated in those actions, but in a different way. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys did take a knee, but it was before the playing of the national anthem.
Once the anthem was about to be played, they stood up.
Jerry Jones' actions from that day until now show that he never had his player's back in the first place. Jerry Jones was like much of the other owners in the league who wanted to pretend to show support for his players at the height of those comments. Once the dust settled, it was about him and his money.
He didn't want to lose any kind of money or sponsors from his players wanting to protest, so he decided to stop it at the door. He is trying to find a scapegoat for his comments, citing the NFL Handbook saying that players "should" stand for the anthem. However, the real reason he is requiring his players to stand is that of the backlash he received for kneeling and that he doesn't want to know what would happen if his player actually kneels during the anthem.
What could happen next
Now Jerry Jones is right to cite the NFL Handbook on its recommendation about the national anthem. But it's a handbook, not a rulebook. The players aren't breaking any rules, especially since the word they used is "should". To start with the Cowboys, the players could take this opportunity to stand up to their owner and protest the anthem, even though he ordered them not to. If the NFLPA wants to get involved, they could possibly take this to court if a player suffers a consequence for protesting during the anthem. Jerry Jones just drew the line in the sand and what players will cross that line is yet to be seen.
Jerry Jones seems to be Missing The Point of why all the players are kneeling during the anthem.
Lots of people are missing the point of the anthem protest. Their intentions are not to disrespect the military or the flag itself. The players are protesting the injustices people of color are receiving in America and police brutality for people of color. The credit goes to Colin Kaepernick for making the ultimate sacrifice of losing his job, so other players and people would see what he was taking a knee for.
Lots of owners aren't feeling the injustices people and players of color are experiencing so they wouldn't understand why the players are protesting, being a voice for the voiceless, a light to shine for those in the dark. If it's not affecting them, they don't care and if it will affect their money in a negative way, they don't want you doing it.
Jerry Jones has this mindset and it was evident from the beginning. He is essentially taking the same stance Trump took a few weeks ago, which is exactly what Trump wanted. Stand and face the consequences is the ultimatum Trump wanted and he, Mike Pence, and many others including Jones made the protest about the flag, not about the social injustices and issues these players are kneeling for since the beginning of the protest.
