Dontari Poe Takes A Knee - And Cowboys Jerry Jones Takes A Stand
FRISCO - The world did not crumble. Nor were its ills cured. Dontari Poe on Sunday in Los Angeles was the only Dallas Cowboys player - and the first-ever Cowboys player - to utilize the NFL’s national anthem moment to kneel in protest of social injustice. ...
And contrary to the cynical predictions of many, team owner Jerry Jones is supportive of the gesture.
“I thought (our players) gave it the sensitivity,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. “They showed respect to Poe’s decision there.
“All in all, I thought our team was very real, very genuine in the way it approached it.”
The “genuine” nature of this seems so simple, and frankly, so American. Each person - including Jones and Poe, the veteran newcomer defensive tackle, was allowed to utilize the moment as he saw fit. ... just as across the way at SoFi Stadium Field on Sunday night, some Rams took a knee and some did not.
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Said Poe: “It’s just bringing more awareness to what’s going on in this world, to the racial injustices that’s going on, to the oppression that’s happening to my race.”
And, just as on this upcoming Sunday, when 0-1 Dallas hosts Atlanta at AT&T Stadium, thousands of hopefully COVID-safe fans will be in attendance - exercising their own rights within the law.
Jones had for years been steadfast in his “toe-the-line” approach to the anthem. But months ago, we expressed an opinion in this space that Jones - along with being driven by all-American capitalism - is a bright and sensitive man not desiring to “be on the wrong side of history.” The Cowboys players have held multiple meetings on the subject, with QB Dak Prescott’s words - “If I had it my way, what we’d do is express ourselves individually but love and support one another collectively” - carrying a great deal of weight.
READ MORE: Cowboys Players Say There's 'Green Light' For Anthem Protest
Dontari Poe took a stand. And so did Jerry Jones. And an agreement that social injustice is wrong is where they, and all of us, can meet in the middle.
“It’s not something that’s going to be solved in a day,” Poe said. “It’s bringing more awareness. It’s letting people know ... It’s the beginning of it.”
