Jerry Jones kneels with Cowboys players before anthem
The Dallas Cowboys kneeled before the national anthem during Monday night’s nationally televised game vs the Arizona Cardinals.
Jerry Jones joined the Cowboys before the anthem began to take a knee. They all then stood up and interlocked arms during the anthem's rendition.
Numerous boos rang out across University of Phoenix Stadium as the Cowboys kneeled and continued as the players rose, still arm-in-arm, and stepped back to the sideline as the flag was unfurled across the field. They remained connected as Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem.
The Cowboys have been one of the few teams that have not had any players kneel or protest during the anthem this season or last season.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported early Monday that the team was planning the protest.
“It’s not going to be business as usual. He crossed a line. Something will be done,” a player told reporter Clarence Hill, referring to comments from Trump on Friday condemning NFL players for protesting.
The owners of the Baltimore Ravens, the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and other teams on Sunday joined a chorus of NFL executives criticizing President Donald Trump's suggestion that they fire players who kneel for the national anthem.
When you add up the numbers, about one in eight NFL players did not stand for the national anthem on Sunday. AP reporters and photographers counted the players kneeling or sitting at every NFL game Sunday. With one more game to go Monday night, already more than 200 players chose to protest. A handful of others raised their fists.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in August he wasn’t a fan of the anthem protests spreading.
“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 during his weekly radio appearance on KRLD-FM 105.3 on Aug. 22. “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.”
Head coach Jason Garrett said on Saturday that he wasn’t planning on talking about Trump’s comments with his team or the anthem protests.
"We have an approach that we believe in," Garrett said. "I have no real comment beyond that."
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the kneeling movement last year when he played for the San Francisco 49ers, refusing to stand during "The Star-Spangled Banner" to protest the treatment of black people by police. Kaepernick became a free agent and has not been signed by a new team for this season.
Without identifying Kaepernick, Trump aimed a Friday talk at a Huntsville, Alabama, rally at those players who have knelt for the anthem.
"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you'd say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired,'" he said to loud applause.
Again in a Sunday morning tweet, Trump urged his supporters to take action: "If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!"
The Associated Press contributed to this story.