As we promised, the NFL’s national anthem controversy has only heated up as time progresses.
The latest installment in the divisive saga came last week when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declared that every player on his team will be standing for the anthem. Shortly afterward, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott came out to backup up his owner’s statement. Now, another Cowboy has hopped on the bandwagon.
“We are the Dallas football Cowboys, America’s Team. We stand for the national anthem.” –@EzekielElliott pic.twitter.com/abgG1bOMnG
— The Willest (@willespndfw) July 28, 2018
Dallas’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott has now also spoken for the whole team, saying they’ll stand for the national anthem. The Cowboys have been flip-flopping on the anthem controversy for a while now.
Some fans will remember Jerry Jones going down on the field and kneeling whilst holding hands with his players last season before the anthem. However, after the NFL folded to demanding tweets from President Donald Trump, Jones seems to be an absolutist on anthem protests.
And now so are at least two of his players.
“As far as the Dallas Cowboys, you know where I stand, the team knows where I stand. Our policy is you stand during the anthem, toe on the line.”
-Jerry Jones https://t.co/9ONnEdhE1r— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) July 27, 2018
But is their commitment to standing sincere? Or is this just a show being put on for their billionaire owner, who has full control over their position on the team? Either way, one has to wonder if this may cause some locker room rifts.
Surely the statements by Elliott and Prescott speaking for the whole team do not reflect the views of the whole roster. They obviously don’t speak for the whole league.
Eagles star Malcolm Jenkins already came out and condemned Jones for trying to manipulate his players, stating that Dallas is no longer an ideal place to have an NFL career.
Something tells us that he’s not alone in that line of thought.
