It appears that some people can’t make up their minds.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters after Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers that all of his players need to stand for the playing of the national anthem before games.
“If it comes between the impression or the perception that we’re not standing together, supporting each other, or the perception that we’re disrespecting the flag, the perception that we’re not together will be secondary to not respecting the flag,” Jones said, according to ESPN. “Respecting the flag is first.”
Vice President Mike Pence attended the Indianapolis Colts vs. San Francisco 49ers game on Sunday. He tweeted that he was there to witness the honoring of the legendary franchise quarterback Peyton Manning. After Pence saw 11 San Francisco players kneeling, he announced on Twitter that he left the game early in support of President Donald Trump’s comments on the national anthem. It was later discovered that the picture Pence used to tweet that he was at the game was a couple of years old and that Pence told his driver to keep the car running in the parking lot before his associates walked into the stadium.
Two weeks ago after Trump initially made comments about the protests, Jones and the Cowboys locked arms and kneeled together as a team before the national anthem played on “Monday Night Football” against the Arizona Cardinals. After the demonstration, Jones said that Trump called him highlighting an NFL rule stating that players must stand during the anthem.
“We made our expression. I’m very supportive of the team, but under no circumstances will the Dallas Cowboys — I don’t care what happens — under no circumstances will we as an organization, coaches, players, not support and stand and recognize and honor the flag, period,” Jones said.
Many of the athletes who have protested have emphasized the fact that they aren’t protesting the flag, but that they’re protesting injustices and police brutality in the U.S. American police have killed 210 Black people this year, according to the Mapping Police Violence research project.
