Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined his team as they locked arms and took a knee ahead of the national anthem before Monday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, capping a weekend when anthem protests took center stage with one of the more powerful gestures of Week 3 of the NFL season.
After President Trump called for NFL owners to fire players for not standing for the anthem during a rally in Alabama Friday -- and doubled down on that position on Twitter over the weekend -- several owners joined their teams on the sidelines during Sunday's games to lock arms in a display of unity. The Arizona Cardinals did the same Monday night during ESPN's airing of the game from Arizona.
Jones' decision to kneel was most notable, however, as he has been an outspoken supporter of the president and previously said he did not support anthem protests. He apparently changed his tune Monday. Jones, Coach Jason Garrett and other Cowboys coaches and front office executives then locked arms while standing on the field as Jordin Sparks belted out the anthem.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began protesting the national anthem last year, first sitting and then taking a knee as a sign of his opposition to police brutality. Several other players on other teams followed suit, but after Trump's comments -- in which he referred to protesting NFL players as "SoBs" -- significantly more decided to demonstrate this past weekend.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks decided to remain in their respective locker rooms during the anthem ceremony, while owners including Jacksonville's Shahid Khan, Detroit's Martha Ford and Washington's Dan Snyder stood arm-in-arm with their players.
9 Reasons Why NFL TV Ratings Might Be Down This Year (Photos)
After years of ratings dominance, viewing of NFL games on TV this season is down by 12 percent. But why? Click on to see some possible reasons.
Donald Trump The GOP nominee has impacted everything else, so why not football? Fans have understandably had a hard time paying attention to the game during this crazy White House campaign.
Peyton Manning The legendary QB has retired, depriving the NFL of one of its most recognizable faces.
Chicago Cubs Yep, as Cubs fan Bill Murray knows, the baseball team's fantasy journey from perennial losers to the World Series has been this fall's Cinderella story. Kinda makes football look puny in comparison.
Colin Kaepernick His principled refusal to stand for the national anthem has turned into a cause celebre that has polarized fans and generated bad PR for the NFL.
Thursday Night Football Hey, who (aside from New Englanders) wants to see the Patriots score a 27-0 blowout against the Texans? Didn't think so. Hardcore fans are complaining about the lousy match-ups on this season's schedule.
Ray Rice He may not play anymore, but the former running back is the symbol of ongoing domestic-violence scandals that have soured many fans on the sport.
NFL RedZone A lot of fans have gotten hooked on the special NFL-owned, game-day exclusive RedZone channel, hosted by Hanson. Unfortunately, that might mean lower ratings for broadcast partners.
Brett Favre Fan concern has steadily increased about the health effects on pros who took repeated hard hits during their career. Former QB Favre even said that his occasional memory lapses scared him and convinced him not to come out of retirement again. The worry has led to special game rules that some fans say has made the games boring.
Roger Goodell He may be "the most powerful man in sports," but the NFL commissioner has taken a lot of flak lately over issues from domestic violence to Deflategate - including from league owners, three of whom told The Daily Caller this year that it was time for a replacement.
