Posted on 09/25/2017 12:57:17 PM PDT by Red Badger
PHOENIX (105.3 THE FAN) – There is no easy answer. But In the wake of President Donald Trump calling for the firing of NFL players who opt for peaceful protest during the National Anthem, the Dallas Cowboys are at work crafting a singular answer.
“Our statement,’’ one team leader told me on the eve of tonight’s nationally-televised Cowboys-at-Cardinals game, “will be a statement of unity.’’
I’ve spoken to seven Cowboys leaders on the subject in the last 48 hours and come away with a handful of conclusions that the Cowboys – from owner Jerry Jones and his family to the players in the locker room – find important.
*There are certainly those in the organization offended by Trump saying, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b— off the field right now?’ Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’’
Those offended include some individuals who may have supported, and still support, the president.
*There are certainly those who have sided with Colin Kaepernick from the start, in his efforts meant to bring attention to institutionalized mistreatment of people of color.
*At the same time, the Cowboys Leadership Council, made up of about 14 players, has long taken the position that “unity’’ and “positivity’’ are the themes that bond the football team … and themes that can bond beyond.
*The Leadership Council has engaged with the Jones family and its members, and now the rest of the locker room, are aware of Jerry’s views here, views he stated clearly on Aug. 22 on 105.3 The Fan with “Shan & RJ’’:
“I just feel so strongly that the act of recognizing the flag is a salute to our country and all of the people that have sacrificed so that we can have the liberties we have,” Jones said. “I feel very strongly that everyone should save that moment for the recognition of the flag in a positive way, so I like the way the Cowboys do it.”
*That in no way should be construed as Jones having “ordered’’ his players to stand, or having issued an “or-else’’ edict. (Worth noting: I don’t dismiss the idea of a player interpreting the combined wishes of Jones and the Leadership Council as an “or-else edict,’’ even though that’s not their intent.) Jones has clearly urged his players to use this moment to remain “respectful’’ … and it’s been made clear to me that his players are comfortable with that as long as “unity’’ is still expressed.
*That doesn’t mean Dallas feels the need to be in lock-step with the rest of the league. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFLPA and the 28 teams that played Sunday largely seemed on the same page regarding their employees/citizens’ right to peaceful protest. Goodell’s keyword-characterization of Trump’s attack on the NFL: “Divisive.” The Cowboys’ position, as is their right, will be their own — their collective own.
*I’m told the players have discussed the locking of arms during the Anthem.
*Numerous people involved tell me that the Joneses’ urging for a “respectful’’ Anthem moment comes with an offer: At any other time, at any other place, management is available to support a player’s cause. This falls in line with Jerry Jones’ well-chronicled “grandfatherly’’ backing of his players on a personal level.
*“We have an approach that we believe in,” coach Jason Garrett said the other day, a statement that some interpreted to be a non-statement but that in fact might be quite revealing as to the team’s plans – because the “approach’’ is to remain bonded, no matter what.
*Tonight, though it’s not the team’s plan, it’s possible a Cowboys player will do the same. If that happens, he will be within his rights, as will any player or person who chooses to keep his views out of the spotlight.
*The Cowboys players obviously know the general view espoused by Jones, who (contrary to anyone’s inflammatory claim) has not issued a directive but has voiced a perspective – which, of course, is within his right. He has, in fact, (contrary to anyone’s inflammatory claim) stated his perspective in the same thoughtful manner that players are stating theirs.
The owner has that right.
The players have that right.
Tonight, their wish is to put those rights on display … together.
We’ll see. >>>>>>>>>>>
Nope.
I have pulled the plug on the NFL.
I have zero tolerance for racial and ethnic nationalism, or for the liberal fascism it represents.
I will not turn it on again until every one of these supercilious unpatriotic field hands, cannon fodder for Obama, are fired.
People forget hat Chicago is a war zone because of this $hit.
I wish I watched stupid football just so I could quit!
We’re watching a multi billion dollar miscue of epic proportions occur, here. If they think they can go on with revenues cut by half with many locales already hostile to stadium demands and people already cord-cutting to the point that their media exposure is poised to go over a cliff anyway, well, I say good luck with that. I guess pro sports are just another propaganda outlet to which I don’t care to expose myself, and won’t. Maybe they think there’s a foreign market for their shoddy wares like Hollywood does, who knows. Who cares.
this is a great issue for Republicans!
Look, you want to protest on your own time, fine, do it. But you are at your place of work during a game. Hell, I'd probably be fired, or at least reprimanded, if I wore a MAGE hat to work. I cannot represent myself as an employee at a protest, that could also get me fired.
They have no right to protest while at work and expect no consequences. You want to disrespect the flag, anthem, fans,.........fine, you ain't getting paid. Better yet, you ain't playing. And next year you won't be on this team.
There is no if ands or buts on this issue. You are either for flag and country or you are against it. Make your choice Cowboys.
I won’t be watching, either.
But my guess is those who choose to do so will standing on the sideline, locking arms with their fellow players.
There will also be a few dopes not on the field, waiting in the locker room until the anthem is over.
While this is still BS, it’s the policy the NFL should have set as soon as this crap started.
some will kneel, the rest will stand, but there will be hand holding and a great sense of awe.
awwwwwwwwwww
should be a spectacle....sound and fury......nothing
Entertainment industry has its own rules. Customers can and will decide if all this matters....to the industry.
.02
KYPD
Just watch American Pickers or old movies. Can find evidences of patriotism and America there.
Kneeling or waiting in the locker room doesn’t help one person.
That’s just a phoney gesture that has nothing behind it.
The NFL should donate all money from tv revenues this year to the NAACP.
In a show of solidarity, the tv networks should match this donation.
Money talks and bullshit kneels.
Weasly fake kneelers. Even worse than the kneelers themselves.
**SPIT**
“There is no easy answer.”
Here’s an easy answer: Do your “protesting” on your own time, football players. Leave it out of the game people are paying to see, a significant percentage of whom probably don’t agree with your “protest.”
This is not just about the anthem, it’s about a lot of things that have been building up over the years: The high prices, the falloff in the quality of play, the endless commercials, the taxpayers getting fleeced for stadiums, the thuggishness of many of the players, among other things.
Sure, you can do what you want, but your speech is not protect here. Freedom of speech only applies to government interference. Nothing in the Constitution says a private business must respect your speech, and that is what the NFL is above all other things, a business. Know what matters to a business above all else? Money. So I choose not to watch you, or spend money on you or anyone else in your business. Multiple that by many millions and we’ll see how long your convictions last. I could care less about your protest, but the moment you disrespected the flag, our flag, you made it personal.
Yes. Guess so. Disappointing if Cowboys players break and decide to show their racist nether region tonight.
Trashing the “America’s Team” moniker is no small thing, ccertainly in TEXAS.
When I was in school, we stood at attention during the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance. We didn’t have to sing or say the Pledge, but we were required to stand.
IF WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH SINGING OR TAKING A PLEDGE, WE WERE ALLOWED TO STAND QUIETLY BUT NOT PUT OUR RIGHT HAND OVER OUR HEARTS. For decades I noted this phenomenon at professoinal events, too. Apparently it’s not enough anymore.
Unity and Positivity.
That’s their message? If you are going to slap fans and America in the face, please don’t hide behind milquetoast slogans.
The NFL is in a bind.
Standing for the Anthem is viewed as racist now. That image is locked in the media.
Not standing for the anthem is viewed as disrespectful to many of the fans. That image is locked in
So, who do they appease? I would be that they kneel. They (the ad buyers) are trying like mad to spin this to a new demographic who currently shows little interest in the NFL.
So that is why they are very willing to lose viewers now. They are trying to get new viewers in.
This is similar to another article about how Trump is naturally employing tactics from Alinsky’s ‘Rules for Radicals’. He’s basically turning the liberal’s playbook around on them.
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