The NFL’s Anthem Policy 2.0 currently has been tabled. The Dallas Cowboys’ Anthem Policy 1.0 apparently remains in effect, unchanged: Stand for the anthem, or else.
On Thursday, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones echoed the comments from Wednesday of his father, Jerry Jones. But Stephen, for perhaps the first time ever, was far more blunt than Jerry.
Via Lorenzo Reyes of
USA Today,
Stephen Jones was asked by KTCK 96.7 FN whether he thinks players will comply with the “be on the sidelines and stand” rule set forth by Jerry Jones, and Stephen Jones said, “If they want to be a Dallas Cowboy, yes.”
“We certainly are supportive of them when they have their personal issues or their personal things that they want to pursue,” Stephen Jones added. “And we’ll help them pursue them on Tuesdays. But when you’re wearing the Dallas Cowboy uniform and a Dallas Cowboy helmet and you’re working for the Dallas Cowboys, you check the ‘I’ and the ‘me’ at the door and you’re a part of a team. There’s bright lines in terms of our organization.”
The NFL has some bright lines, too. For now, the bright line (via Anthem Policy 1.0) is that players have the right to protest during the anthem. Even under Anthem Policy 2.0, teams can’t force them to be on the sideline and stand. Unless Anthem Policy 3.0, as negotiated with the union, results in an agreement that all players will be on the sideline and stand (it likely won’t), the Cowboys’ internal policy will constitute a violation of the NFL’s policy.
Meanwhile, the comments of both Jerry and Stephen Jones many constitute a violation of the NFL’s supposed gag order regarding the anthem policy. On Thursday, the
NFL declined to comment on: (1) whether there is a policy; and (2) whether Jerry violated it on Wednesday. Even if the league gives the Cowboys a pass on this one, the NFL can’t be happy that the Joneses already have made it clear that they won’t honor whatever the ultimately anthem policy may be.
. We got the second pick on the waivers
