Jones told reporters he would not answer any questions about the national anthem policyGETTY IMAGES
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones is "suddenly listening to the NFL," as he is now not discussing the anthem issue because he has "been told not to by the league," according to a front-page piece by Clarence Hill Jr. of the Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM. Jones on Sunday night said that questions about the national anthem and his team’s policy were "not permitted because the NFL had told him to stop speaking on the matter" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/31). Dallas-based WFAA-ABC anchor Dale Hansen published a video weighing in on Jones' anthem stance. He said, "It's incredible to me that a player can beat up a woman and play for the Dallas Cowboys. A player can use illegal drugs time and time again and still play, but you take a knee to protest the racial injustice in America, and now you've crossed a line that he will not allow. Jones loves and respects the national anthem so much that when it was being played before the start of practice Saturday, he left his cap on. And when he was told about the mistake he was making, he still left his cap. He who makes the rules, apparently doesn't have to follow them" (DALLASNEWS.com, 7/30).
CAN HE STAY QUIET? ESPN’s Mina Kimes said Jones "doesn't care about the national impact of what he's doing" and instead is "catering to his own fan base." Kimes: "He’s thinking locally. He is thinking, ‘My friends, they agree with me, which is probably including the President. My fans in Dallas, they agree with me.’ The problem is the NFL is a national sport. What they are trying to do is please the national audience and it's very difficult right here because there's no consensus on this issue." Kimes said based on Jones' history of "speaking out, he's not likely to stay quiet for very long.” ESPN’s Domonique Foxworth said Jones likely has "accomplished what he wanted to accomplish" by bringing up the issue in the first place. Foxworth: "Why would he go back out? ... I'm not sure what Jerry Jones gains by bringing this back into the news again” (“First Take,” ESPN, 7/31).
TOUGH WORDS: 49ers CB Richard Sherman said Jones has an "old plantation mentality." Sherman: "What did you expect?" Sherman said of the discussions between the league and the NFLPA on an anthem policy, "They’re having the conversations; that’s awesome. But there are unintended consequences. If they did this (original policy) to appease people, they didn’t appease anyone. It’s like putting a Band-Aid over a broken leg" (USA TODAY, 7/31). In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel writes Jones has been "bent over and spanked by the President of the United States." No owner in sports has "sided and defended his players more, often in the face of damning and awful behaviors." But on the "touchy subject of a knee, Jerry is not with the players," but with President Trump. Engel: "Because Jerry knows most of you are." The whole episode "continues to embarrass the NFL, Jerry and his players, too" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 7/30).
PROGRESS BEING MADE: Vikings co-Owner & President Mark Wilf said that he is "'encouraged' by the fact that the NFL and the NFLPA are working out the jargon of ever-changing anthem protocol." Wilf: "We are very hopeful that there will be a good resolution in terms of ending up with something that’s positive in the social justice area." He added, "That’s the right way to go about it, to have a dialogue, and make something constructive out of this" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 7/31). In Minneapolis, Mark Craig notes the Vikings are one of the "few teams that haven’t had a player sit or kneel during the anthem" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/31).
