Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said Sunday night that any players on his team who “disrespect” the American flag will not play.
“If there's anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play,” he emphasized, after the team’s 35-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Vice President Mike Pence left a game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday after 20 49ers kneeled down during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
Two weeks ago, Jones prominently joined the Cowboys’ players and coaches in locking arms and taking a knee before the anthem.
“We as a team are very much on the page together,” Jones said Sunday. “We made our expression. I’m very supportive of the team, but under no circumstances will the Dallas Cowboys—I don’t care what happens—under no circumstances will we as an organization, coaches, players, not support and stand and recognize and honor the flag. Period.”
The topic was resurrected after Vice President Mike Pence left Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers after more than 20 Niners knelt during the national anthem with their hands over their hearts, as was the case the previous week.
Pence tweeted a statement in which he said he would not dignify any event that disrespects soldiers, the flag or the anthem.
NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement Monday that in meetings last week with team owners, commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants owner John Mara, the chairman of the NFL management council, assured union leaders that they would "respect the Constitutional rights of our members without retribution." Smith also said that "no player is disrespecting our country or our flag" by protesting during the national anthem.
At the Cowboys' September 25th meeting with the Arizona Cardinals, Jones, his sons Stephen and Jerry Jr. and daughter Charlotte Anderson joined the team's players, coaches and staff on the field in taking a knee and locking arms prior to the anthem. During the anthem, the Jones family stood arm-in-arm with the players.
The gesture was in response to President Donald Trump's comments that NFL owners should fire players who disrespect the flag by not standing during the national anthem.
Comments