NFL
By: Greg Rector
So we finally had a press conference from the Dallas Cowboys’ brain trust, as Jerry and Stephen Jones, along with head coach Mike McCarthy, addressed the media. They didn’t announce anything startling or unexpected. No late addition of a free agent, etc. Instead, the main topics were centered on yes kids no surprise here, what would Jerry say?
His first pronouncement was no surprise. Jerry Jones expects to have a full season, and he plans on having fans at AT&T Stadium. Now they obviously have a vast number of suites in which 15 folks could pretty safely “bubble” themselves. The stadium also has excellent ventilation, which is a bonus. The crucial point here, though is whether or not Dallas will strictly enforce mask-wearing and social distancing. Meanwhile several Cowboys veterans are doing their best to keep safe and have taken rooms at the Omni Hotel adjacent to the team facility. Most teams don’t have that option.
The next topic up was the one many have waited for. How would Jerry respond in the wake of the renewed Black Lives Matter movement after the deaths of Breona Taylor, George Floyd, and others? Well, in typical Jerry fashion, it was all about protecting the sports world’s most valuable brand. Jones said: “I will have grace and understanding regarding our players and the people sensitive about our flag.” In other words, no stand either way so that everyone still buys the merchandise.
Jones Fails
I, for one, am not surprised by this at all. However, it is still a major disappointment. This message was simply not enough in this time we are living through. I am a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, below is the oath that millions of Americans and myself have taken upon enlistment in all branches of the U.S. Military.
Note not a single word is in that oath regarding the flag, nor of the national anthem. Instead, it affirms that we all serve to protect and defend the United States’ Constitution from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. It was a Green Beret who told Kaepernick to kneel in the first place. I have said this for three years, yet the “Phony Patriotism” crowd, including Jerry, still uses this narrative. If they would instead focus on the 1st Amendment right to peacefully assemble in protest of and to the government in power at any given moment. That’s exactly what Black Lives Matter has done from the moment it started after Ferguson.
Jerry failed to take a stand with a substantive part of his fanbase. People of color be they black or brown have been victimized for far too long by a systemic racist system of both policing and the application of “justice” in this country. Today should have been a day that Jones stood with all of them. You might feel you protected the brand but, Jerry, you did just the opposite. “America’s Team” should be leading the charge for changes so badly needed. Instead, the franchise is stuck in a mindset that is out of touch with reality.
You can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
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