Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett seems to expect that the team’s newly acquired defensive end Michael Bennett will stop his practice of remaining in the locker room for the national anthem, and instead join the team on the sidelines.
For the past two seasons, Bennett has stayed in the locker room during the anthem. Bennett was also one of the chief protesters starting in the 2016 season. But now that the Cowboys traded for Bennett just ahead of the NFL trade deadline, the question is: Did the team trade for Bennett’s protests, too?
The Cowboys coach was recently asked about Bennett and his past three seasons of protesting during the anthem. And it seems that Garrett thinks Bennett will end his anthem protest. During a presser, Garrett was asked about Bennett and said, “We don’t anticipate that being an issue. We’re excited to have him here. … We anticipate him doing what all of players do.”
It remains to be seen if Garrett is just setting himself up for a conflict with Bennett, or if there has been an arrangement ahead of the player’s trade.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, has already made his proclamation about protesting during the anthem. Jones expects his players to respect the anthem. “Our policy is that you stand at the anthem, toe on the line,” Jones said in July of 2018.
We’ll soon find out. After all, the season is well under way.
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