The Cowboys had to work for a 28-17 win over the Cardinals Monday night, and they also put quite a bit of thought into their pre-game exercise of locking arms and kneeling on the field.
Amid a firestorm of pre-game protests this weekend around the NFL, where some teams did not even take the field for the playing of the national anthem and others knelt during it, Dallas players, coaches, owner Jerry Jones and other team officials were unified.
After kneeling prior to the playing of the national anthem, the Cowboys stood and remained with locked arms as it was played.
“I think that was the biggest thing is that we wanted to be together on it,” tight end Jason Witten told reporters. “We spent the last 48 hours, spent a lot of time talking about it and listening . . . There was a lot of passion and emotion. Quite frankly I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Before Dak Prescott passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, the Cowboys wanted to show that they like so many NFL players are together in standing against racism and police brutality, but they wanted to do it without showing what might be interpreted as disrespect for the national anthem or the American flag.
Many NFL players have taken to kneeling during the anthem, and Jones has been outspoken against that practice.
“I do not think the place to express yourself in society is as we recognize the American flag,” Jones said last week in an interview with Fox Business. “That’s not the place to do anything other than honor the flag and everybody that’s given up a little bit for it.”
The Cowboys joined a large number of professional athletes to speak out against president Donald Trump, who on Friday while speaking to a crowd in Alabama referred to NFL players protesting during the anthem as “sons of bitches” who should be fired.
“We just wanted to show everyone we don’t agree at all with what the President said,” said runnihng back Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown. “We showed that we weren’t going to be divided by that.”
Wide receiver Dez Bryant, who caught a touchdown pass, told reporters, “It was a team thing. I feel like that’s the true definition of unity. Trump can’t divide this. I think sports showed the perfect example of unity. It’s our job. It’s not just black NFL players. It’s a mix. It’s different races.”
This issue isn’t likely to go away soon, and as ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt made clear it will continue to inspire a wide range of emotions.
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