Only one Cowboy has knelt for the national anthem. However, Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith says that if he were still playing, there would be one more.
The NFL Hall-of-Famer told the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram that he would kneel because he too has been a victim of injustice.
“I have been a victim of it,” Emmitt said of racial injustice. “It’s not like I am talking because something happened to George Floyd. Something happened to me more than one time, a couple of times it happened right here in Dallas.”
Though Smith didn’t go into detail on his experiences with racial injustice, he was clear that they happened.
“I’m talking from experience, not something I read in a book and saw on CNN.”
Smith also took a shot at his former team owner Jerry Jones, who has been opposed to the anthem protests.
“Jerry needs to cut it out,” Smith said. “He needs to cut it out. Don’t distort the message because of the flag. It is bigger than the flag.”
Smith continued, “What is the difference between injustice and bullying? You see somebody get bullied, are you supposed to keep walking down the street? No. You support that peace, but you won’t support justice for people getting killed in the streets for no apparent reason.”
The NFL suffered a huge decline in ratings during Week 1 of the 2020 season, as dozens of players took part in the anthem protests that Kaepernick began four years ago.