Tag: anthem protest

Jerry Jones spoke about Dontari Poe’s decision to kneel during the national anthem

“They showed respect to Poe’s decision.”

It had been four years since Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice, and no player on the Dallas Cowboys had joined in on that demonstration.

That changed on Sunday.

Cowboys defensive tackle Dontari Poe became the first Dallas player to kneel for the anthem, and he did so with several standing teammates putting their hands on his shoulder.

Over the years, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had been among the league’s most outspoken opponents of player protests. And that tone somewhat changed in the aftermath of George Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s deaths. But Jones never said whether he would actually support a Cowboys player kneeling, and even after Poe took a knee, he didn’t necessarily take a stance one way or the other.

Speaking to 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones applauded the team for how they handled themselves during the anthem. He complimented the team for respecting Poe’s decision but didn’t elaborate on what he actually thought about Poe’s protest himself. He said via Yahoo! Sports:

“I thought our players, I thought they gave it sensitivity,” Jones said when asked about his team’s response to Poe. “They showed respect to Poe’s decision. I think they certainly did … show a sensitivity to our fans as a team team. … All in all, I thought our team was very real and very genuine in the way it approached it.”

So, again, it wasn’t exactly an endorsement of protests from Jones. But it did show a definite shift from the no-protest stance Jones had taken since 2016.

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Baker Mayfield says he will stand for national anthem to promote respect and unity

Earlier this offseason Mayfield indicated he would kneel during the anthem

In a social media post the day before the Cleveland Browns season opener, quarterback Baker Mayfield revealed a change in his mindset. Mayfield announced he will stand for the national anthem prior to the game.

This changes his earlier offseason stance, where he declared he would “absolutely” kneel for the national anthem out of respect for the Black Lives Matter movement. Mayfield explained the rationale for his change, noting that “kneeling will only create more division or discussion about the gesture” rather than focusing on solving problems.

Mayfield’s full post, where he goes into greater detail about his thought process, taken from his Twitter feed:

 

Broncos OLB Von Miller says he ‘could have stood taller’ with Colin Kaepernick in 2016

“I apologize for not being a stronger leader for [Colin] Kaepernick [in 2016],” Broncos linebacker Von Miller said.

Four years ago, former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and social injustices in the United States. Several players across the league joined him but by 2019, few players were still protesting during the anthem.

Following the death of George Floyd and other instances of police brutality this year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see many NFL players protest this season. When asked about potential protests during his Zoom conference call on Tuesday, Broncos linebacker Von Miller referenced Kaepernick’s early demonstrations.

“I felt like I could have stood taller with Kaepernick at the time,” Miller said. “I felt like I could have supported Kaepernick a lot better at the time. I apologize for not being a stronger leader for Kaepernick at the time. The things that players are doing now, Kaepernick was doing four years ago. I felt like I — now in hindsight, I felt like I could have stood taller with Kaepernick and [former Denver linebacker] Brandon Marshall at the time.”

Miller was among the Broncos players who participated in a Black Lives Matter march in Denver earlier this offseason. When the season draws closer, Broncos players will likely meet to make a unified decision on possible protests.

“I feel like there are a lot of ways we can impact viewers on this subject and impact society on this subject,” Miller said. “I definitely reached out to all of my guys around the league. I reached and talked to all of the guys around the league on what’s the best way and what’s the best message to get out.

“Justin Simmons is huge with the social justice movement. I reached out to him and I’ll see exactly what he wants to do. Whatever it is, we’ll be united on the message that we have to put out.”

Last month, team president/CEO Joe Ellis said players have a right to protest.

“I’m going to respect — whatever it is that they decide to do — we’re going to stand by that as an organization,” Ellis said.

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Broncos CEO Joe Ellis says players have a right to protest

“Whatever it is that they decide to do we’re going to stand by that as an organization,” Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis said.

Following the death of George Floyd and other instances of police brutality this year, many NFL players are expected to protest during the national anthem this season.

Broncos players organized a march in Denver earlier this offseason. It remains to be seen if the players will demonstrate during the anthem.

“Everyone’s got a right to do as they please, express themselves as they feel,” team president/CEO Joe Ellis said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on July 28. “I’m going to respect that. We’re going to respect that as an organization. I think once we get down to 53, my guess is that the players will meet and convene. They may want to do something as a team.

“I will be there to listen and learn. It’s been an eye-opening period of about three months now. As I said, I’m going to respect — whatever it is that they decide to do, we’re going to stand by that as an organization.”

In 2017, a majority of Broncos players knelt during the anthem before a game against the Bills after President Donald Trump labeled protesting players SOBs. Four days after that game in Buffalo, Denver players announced that they would stand for the anthem going forward.

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