Two years ago, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones said that if any of his players knelt for the national anthem, the Cowboys would not play. Now, Jerry Jones is saying times have changed, and so might the Cowboys anthem stance.
The owner of one of the few teams in the NFL to have never had an anthem protester, elaborated on his thought process regarding the anthem on Wednesday.
“Everybody in this country knows where I stand and where the Cowboys stand when it comes to the flag,” Jones said.
Though, that wasn’t all Jones said:
The key word . . . is a word called grace. Grace. That was then, two years ago. This is now. We have had very, very sensitive times. I don’t need to share that we’re also embroiled in a very other sensitive time with the challenge, and the war literally with the virus. These are very sensitive times. I have nothing to prove as far as where I’m standing with the flag and where the Cowboys stand. I have nothing to prove regarding my players and my support of our players. What I do want to show and want us all to be a part of is a word called grace. Grace. Not only grace in our actions but grace in our understanding of where they’re coming from. I want our players to understand the perception and where they’re coming from regarding the flag and the sensitivity there and the many memories there. And I want our fans to understand and better do because of what’s gone on over the last few months and want them to understand where our players are coming from there, and they do not feel like that the ones who . . . kneel, they do not feel like they’re dishonoring the flag. I’m going to have grace. I’ve had grace. Many of you have written and criticized me for having too much grace and understanding regarding our players, and I probably have. And I’m going to have grace regarding the people that are sensitive about our flag. Somewhere in between there as the weeks, as we get together with our team, as we discuss with the team, somewhere in between there is how we’re going to handle it.
Jones says they will discuss the matter as a team.
We’re going to have grace when we sit here and look at how we’re going to handle it. I haven’t met to the detail and in depth with our players that I want to. I have talked to literally double handfuls of very, very engaged people. I have had input from ex-presidents. I’ve had input from presidents. I’ve had input from a cross section of our players, former players, and I will continue to have input. This is a very serious matter. We’ve asked for the platform. We have the platform. We’re going to show grace. I’m going to show grace, and I’d to show that kind of grace in every sensitive matter that comes up. Everybody’s genuine here. I’m giving here the benefit of the doubt relative to any decision that I make. I have one thing: My job is to run the Dallas Cowboys. My job is to do what’s right. We’ve asked for all of this interest, and we’ve asked for our players to give everything they’ve got. I want to sit down when I have an issue and I have a decision to make, I want to show the world that I can do it with grace and come up with the right solution.
I don’t know what we’re going to be faced with here a month from now or two months from now. When it happens, I’m giving you the backdrop of how I’ll make the decision at the time or encourage our players. Our players have always been open ears for anything that I have to offer and I’ve been open-eared with what they have to offer, and that’s what we’ll do.
So, that certainly sounds like Jones is laying the foundation for allowing players to protest. By invoking “Grace,” a word with obvious religious symbolism, he could be an attempt to appeal to the “Better Angels” of Cowboys fans who are opposed to anthem protests.
In any event, it’s hard to imagine that the players will have any opinion other than a unanimous or near unanimous vote to protest when Jones seeks their opinion. At that point, Jones will have to decide whether “Grace” means sticking to his beliefs about the anthem, or adjusting to these “sensitive times.”
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themighygwinn