Jones' statement is a departure from the agreement between the NFL and NFLPA to stay the new policyCOWBOYS
As the NFL and NFLPA work toward a solution on the national anthem policy, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones yesterday said that his team "will not support players who choose to remain in the locker room" for the anthem rather than standing on the field, according to a front-page piece by Clarence Hill Jr. of the Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM. Jones: “Our teams know where I stand. That is where we are. Our policy is you stand during the anthem, toe on the line.” Hill notes Jones’ statement is a "departure from what had been a standstill agreement" between the league and the NFLPA to "stay the new policy that was voted on last May." Jones said that he "thinks what the league and the NFLPA are doing is a worthy effort but that doesn’t change the Cowboys’ stance." Jones: "The priority is about the flag -- and be real clear about that" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/26). Jones also said that President Trump's "continual tweets and statements about how the NFL is handling its national anthem issue is 'problematic' for him and other owners in the league." In Dallas, Brandon George noted Jones was asked if Trump continually referring to the anthem issue "makes it more difficult for the owners and union to come to a mutual agreement." Jones said, "Yes, his interest in what we're doing is problematic from my chair and I would say in general the owners' chair, unprecedented if you really think about it. But, like the very game itself, that's the way it is and we'll deal with it. We feel strongly about how we deal with it and we'll do so accordingly. But, yes, everybody would like for it to go away." Cowboys COO, Exec VP & Dir of Player Personnel Stephen Jones added of Trump, "It's problematic that he likes to go to the NFL ... it's obviously something he feels like helps him out" (DALLASNEWS.com, 7/25).
WHAT NOW? In N.Y., Ken Belson writes Jones "added fuel to an already confusing and rancorous debate" about the anthem policy. Among the 32 owners, Jones has "been the loudest proponent of forcing all players to stand for the anthem," and his comments yesterday were the "clearest suggestion yet that he intends to penalize players who do not follow his policy." League officials "had no comment" on Jones’ remarks. NFLPA Assistant Exec Dir of External Affairs George Atallah also "declined to comment." Jones’ remarks "complicate the already thorny negotiations" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/26). In DC, Mark Maske cites sources as saying that there "remains strong sentiment" among the owners that they "want players to stand for the anthem, by agreement if possible rather than via a unilaterally imposed policy." But if the owners "plan to seek the players’ agreement to stand for the anthem before games, what is not known is what the rest of that conversation entails." Players enter the deliberations with a "desire to revert to the anthem policy that was in place before the May change." That previous policy "required players to be on the sideline for the anthem" and it "suggested but did not require that they stand" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/26).
INSTANT REACTION: Jones’ comments quickly made the rounds on social media, with Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman saying if the “most powerful owner in league is going to do whatever the hell he wants on this issue anyway, then why are union and NFL bothering to even meet to solve this?” USA Today’s Lindsay Jones: “I thought no new rules would be created or enforced right now?” NFL Media’s Jim Trotter wrote of Jones’ latest stance, “So if the current policy ultimately remains in place, he plans to violate the policy he voted for.” FanSided Founder and former CEO Adam Best noted Jones “has supported” Greg Hardy and John Schnatter but “refuses to support his players who want to peacefully protest police brutality.” Washington Post editor Karen Attiah: “I grew up in Dallas watching the Cowboys. But if Jerry Jones is hellbent on running this team like a plantation, I’ll no longer support the team.” Conversely, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he was “proud” of Jones, saying he is “showing the cajones that Roger Goodell and NFL won’t!”
PLAYING HARDBALL: USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes Jones "sounded like a man who won't budge." He is "unwilling to consider that protests by NFL players should be protected by the Constitutional right in America for freedom of expression." For Jones to "indicate support for the NFL-NFLPA talks as a potential impetus for consensus on the policy rings hollow when he isn’t open to new solutions." For the Cowboys, the issue "would escalate if a high-profile player tests Jones’ resolve with a protest." That "hasn’t happened, and it is unclear if any of the current players are committed to that degree." While Jones "didn’t indicate" what the ramifications "would be if a Cowboys player protested during the anthem, it's easy to infer that the individual would likely be out of a job." That is "exactly what the NFLPA is seeking to prevent" (USA TODAY, 7/26). FS1’s Jason Whitlock said the anthem issue is "not even a controversy" in Texas, where Jones' "bread is buttered." Whitlock: "There’s only one side to this story in Texas for football fans: stand at attention during the national anthem. He’s frustrated by this and his frustration, to me, caused him to talk when I think he would have been better served with a ‘no comment.’” FS1’s Colin Cowherd said the owners are "not aligned because they’re playing to their market" (“Speak for Yourself,” FS1, 7/25).
NOT ON THE SAME PAGE: ESPN’s Jason Fitz said owners "have to be smarter about how they handle" the anthem issue and a "simple ‘We’re still figuring out what the best policy would be’ would end this." But Jones "continues to run roughshod and do whatever he wants to do and say whatever he wants to say, best interest of the league be damned." ESPN’s Mina Kimes said fans and the media "were not talking about this as a controversy at the end of the season" but the owners "brought it back." Kimes: "It’s the rare NFL story that is not good for the NFL at all. Like any publicity is good except this. Yet, Jerry Jones continues to insist on making it a story.” ESPN’s Mike Golic Jr. said Jones "believes that he is above the operating procedure of everyone else" (“Golic & Wingo,” ESPN Radio, 7/26). ESPN’s Mike Greenberg said, “The fact this is still an issue being debated two years after it began is a crisis in leadership in my opinion. Make a decision, whatever the decision is. Own it and move on because your season is going to start and you don't want people continuing to talk about this every single day” (“Get Up!,” ESPN, 7/26).
EXPECT MORE COMING: In Dallas, David Moore writes the Jones' media session is a "description of the new normal." Father and son were "peppered with 28 questions" before anyone asked about QB Dak Prescott (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/26).
