Last season, Jerry Jones made a bold statement when he declared that any player on the Cowboys who sits or kneels during the National Anthem will be fired.
As an owner of the franchise, Jones has the right to hire and fire at will. And his players on the Cowboys heard him loud and clear. Nobody knelt, and nobody cared.
But Jones went back on his promise two weeks ago after President Trump set the league on fire with his comments about anthem protests. So Jones let his players kneel on the field despite his wishes against it?
No, no even worse: he knelt with them on the field.
Cowboys & Owner Jerry Jones link arms & kneel together prior to the national anthem on #MNF pic.twitter.com/wujGb0EON3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2017
So he gave his players his blessing to keep doing this right? Nope, wrong again.
After likely receiving backlash from sponsors and advertisers, Jones was prompted to make this statement following Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Packers.
“If there is anything disrespecting the flag, then we will not play,” Jones said, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “Period. We’re going to respect the flag and I’m going to create the perception of it.
“We cannot in anyway give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag,” Jones said, according to George. “We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind, that the [NFL] and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag.
“But let me be real, real clear: The thing that the National Football League needs to do and the Dallas Cowboys are going to do is stand for the flag. We’re going to do that. It’s the rules that are on the book in my opinion.”
This all makes zero sense. If Jerry Jones wanted this message to actually resonate with his players and the league then he should have never knelt with the team two weeks ago. Just watch, players on the team may challenge his authority on this one and see if Jones is bluffing or if he truly will stand behind his statements.
This statement puts Jones at the height of hypocrisy. As a leader, you should stay consistent with your beliefs and not be out to just please people depending on what the situation is. That is why you hire a public relations team, to put out these proverbial fires.
It’s more obvious than ever that three weeks ago, Jones was just trying to please his players and those in the league who wanted to ‘jab back’ at the president’s remarks. But to make a statement like this two weeks later shows us that he is now trying to please the companies that endorse the Cowboys.
Let’s be real here, since President Trumps’ comments, the NFL has seen its ratings go down significantly. And that is in direct correlation with the protests during the anthem.
The gesture turns people off from watching the game. But an even bigger turnoff is a hypocritical owner. When it comes to kneeling, Jerry Jones needs to pick a side.
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