Appearing last Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he’s looking for a compromise that would give players a way to protest prior to kickoff, while still standing for the national anthem. He has appeared on 105.3 The Fan twice since then, and the issue has not come up again.
On Friday and again on Tuesday morning, there were no questions and no answers about, for example, whether Jones is still trying to fashion a compromise or whether the league office has directed Jones to stop trying. Given the seismic shift in the sports world that happened last Wednesday when the NBA led a wildcat strike of pro sports, the changed circumstances cry out for further commentary from Jones as to whether he finally has realized that he and the Cowboys should respect and honor the league’s position that the players have a clear right to protest during the anthem, if they so choose.
It’s hard not to wonder whether the Cowboys and/or Jones instructed their flagship radio station to not ask the question. Indeed, what else would the explanation be? Even amid the best of Jerry’ filibustering, a question about the anthem issue needed to be asked.
In 12 days, we’ll find out whether a compromise was indeed reached, when the Cowboys launch the season on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in Los Angeles, as the first game ever played there plays out in front of empty stands.
