Sherman said that he would like to hear from owners such as the Cowboys’ Jerry JonesGETTY IMAGES
49ers CB Richard Sherman "appreciates NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's prompt response to the pointed requests made by black players last week," although "few NFL owners have offered their voice," according to Eric Branch of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Sherman said that many owners "probably figure Goodell's message spoke for them," but Sherman "would like to hear from owners such as the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, one of the league’s most powerful figures who has previously demanded that his players stand for the anthem." Sherman: "It's not pulling them like it is the rest of the country. Because if it was, then they'd speak. Jerry Jones, especially, has no problem speaking up any other time about anything else. But when it's such a serious issue, and he could really make a huge impact on it with a few words, his silence speaks volumes." Still, Sherman "sees reason for optimism in the NFL and society" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/10).
SILENCE IS DEAFENING: In Dallas, David Moore writes no NFL owner has been "more outspoken publicly about the need for players and coaches to stand for the anthem" than Jones. He has been "adamant on the subject, declaring, 'Our policy is you stand during the anthem, toe on the line.'" Jones apparently "accepts the roots of the protest," but "still has a policy that requires players to stand for the anthem." That "doesn’t leave him much room to maneuver going forward without reversing course." Moore: "The question isn't when will Jones speak. He always does. The question is what will he say and where does he go from here?" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/10). In Austin, Kirk Bohls writes the public still is "waiting to hear from NFL owners." Jones' "silence is deafening," and "so is that of the majority of the owners" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 6/10).
TIME FOR ACTION: In S.F., Erica Terry Derryck writes it is time for the NFL to "pay up by moving from symbolic to systemic change." Goodell's "mea culpa about the wrong-headedness of the league’s response to the peaceful protest Colin Kaepernick kicked off in 2016 is not enough." Team owners "must take this opportunity to listen." More than that, they "must decide how they are going to act based on what they hear" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/10).
