Jerry Jones refuses to comment after wearing a hat during the national anthem
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been one of the loudest voices — outside of president Donald Trump — in the debate among protests in the NFL during the national anthem.
Jones has said that the Cowboys will all stand for the anthem on the sideline this season, and has constantly kept the debate in headlines — so much so that the NFL told him last month to quit talking publicly about the issue all together.
Jones, though, was seen wearing a Cowboys hat during the playing of the national anthem before a team practice last month, which is a clear violation of acceptable behavior during the playing of the anthem.
According to Calvin Watkins of The Athletic, Jones declined to comment about the incident while speaking to reporters on Sunday night at the team’s training camp in Oxnard, California.
Jerry Jones declined comment when asked why he didn’t take his hat off during the playing of the national anthem a few weeks ago.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) August 13, 2018
Jones was asked about it, and quickly said “no” before moving on to answer a question on the NFL’s new helmet contact rule.
Jerry Jones on the anthem, it’s brief, and the helmet rule change. pic.twitter.com/wJAiJ5ozyY
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) August 13, 2018
Jones said last month that his team will be required to stand for the anthem, even after the NFL and NFLPA entered into discussions on the issue and suspended its current policy — which required that players either stand for the anthem on the sideline or remain in the locker room — while they do so.
“Our policy is that you stand for the anthem, toe on the line,” Jones said.
As he is the owner of the team, there is technically no one to force him to follow the policy that he himself laid out. Though if Jones is going to enforce that rule for his team out of respect for the anthem, it would only make sense that he hold himself to the same standard.
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