In a week where so many, from celebrities to CEOs, have come forward with formal statements and calls for change regarding racial inequality and social injustice in America, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained uncharacteristically silent.
That is precisely part of the problem, says San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Sherman expressed optimism at the growing movement within the NFL to address race. But the five-time Pro Bowler said he felt that team owners haven’t been vocal enough about joining the conversation. He singled out Jones in particular.
“It’s not pulling them like it is the rest of the country,” Sherman told the newspaper, as per ESPN. “Because if it was, then they’d speak. Jerry Jones, especially, has no problem speaking up any other time about anything else. But when it’s such a serious issue, and he could really make a huge impact on it with a few words, his silence speaks volumes.”
The Cowboys organization released a video statement late last week meant to be the first in a series that shares ongoing interactions between the team, players, and community leaders.
Jones does not appear in the video, nor has he weighed in publicly about the recent instances of police violence that have shocked the nation, the resulting protests that have taken place in cities around the globe, or the subsequent conversations and outreach efforts that have begun to spring up.
Jones’s absence at a large protest in Austin over the weekend caught the attention of former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. On Sunday, Bryant issued a tweet in which he wrote, “Somebody should have brought Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and Jason Witten to this protest down in Austin. This is not a policy change; this is a heart change. And yeah, I said it.”
While Witten responded (via Twitter) to his former teammate, Bryant’s former employer still has not. Yet on Monday, the free agent receiver defended Jones to Sports Illustrated.
“I know Jerry’s heart. He’s a compassionate person, and he’s not a racist,” Bryant said. “I have love for Mr. Jones. Almost everything I know about business- and of course, I’m still learning- I learned from him. But I believe this is a time, right now, where Mr. Jones could learn some things, too. To learn about the culture.”
The same goes, Bryant says, for chief operating officer (and Jerry’s son) Stephen.
“I’ve seen some of the other coaches and GMs from other teams start to reach out and even march,” Bryant went on. “I think that will help those teams in the locker room and on the field, for players to know that the boss is at least trying to understand.”
As for Witten, Bryant says he and the eventual Hall of Famer still have a close relationship.
“I’d like to tell Witt what I’m telling you: He can’t know what it’s like being a black man walking into a restaurant and only feeling accepted because he’s an athlete. I don’t know that Witt can know that, or that Jerry or Stephen can know it. I want them to listen to us telling them that.”
According to ESPN, Witten- now a member of the Raiders- has already met with police, religious, and business leaders in Las Vegas, looking for ways to improve relations in his new home city.
Sherman said he has been encouraged by the discussions happening within his own team.
San Francisco, of course, was the epicenter of controversy in 2016 when then-quarterback Colin Kaepernick began silently taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem in protest of systemic black oppression.
At the time, Jones famously made it clear that he would not tolerate any Cowboys player kneeling, believing it was disrespectful to the American flag. In 2017, though, as the gesture spread throughout the league, Jones joined the team in kneeling, linking arms with the players during one memorable pregame.
Given recent events, many around the sport expect there to be similar showings once games are played in 2020. It is unclear what the Cowboys- either the players or the ownership- will do, or if the two sides will agree on a unified approach. But Bryant has a suggestion on how the team owner could endear himself to his players in the meantime.
“If Jerry [participated in a protest], those guys in that locker room at The Star- knowing what he might be changing and might be sacrificing- would run through a brick wall for him,” Bryant predicted. “Jerry does that, he might just win another Super Bowl because of it.”
For now, though, Jones is inexplicably letting his silence do all the talking. And the message it’s sending is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of fans and players who are looking for the outspoken owner to do what he normally does best: speak out.
