Dontari Poe becomes first, and only, Dallas Cowboys player to kneel during anthem
Nose tackle Dontari Poe became the first Dallas Cowboys player to ever take a knee in a silent protest in support of social justice during the national anthem before Sunday’s season opener.
Team owner Jerry Jones has previously outlawed anything that he felt was disrespectful of the flag and demanded that his players stand with “toes on the line” or they would not play for the Cowboys.
A racial awakening following the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May prompted the NFL to acknowledge it was wrong with how it handled anthem protests in the past, especially with players across the league planning to renew the protests in 2020.
It ultimately forced Jones to soften his attitude and give him players the freedom to express themselves without the fear of punishment.
“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, the black people,” Poe said. “It’s not something that’s going to be solved in a day. This is letting people know and this is my way of fighting it. It’s the beginning of it. We might not see change in my lifetime. I do want to start it by doing the simple things such as kneeling to let people know that I feel this way. I feel hurt with what’s going on. I feel like everyone needs to be accountable. The police need to be held accountable. And the world needs to hold them accountable. That’s basically it and that’s how i feel about it.”
Although running back Ezekiel Elliott said that several Cowboys planned to kneel on Sunday, Poe, who had expressed his plans to take a knee in July, was the only one to do so. And he did so with the support of his teammates and team brass.
Reserve nose tackle Antwaun Woods and defensive end Aldon Smith stood behind Poe with hands placed on each of Poe’s shoulders as he knelt. Woods and Poe hugged afterwards.
On the other side of the field, 15 Rams knelt, including 14 players in uniform.
Poe, who is in his first year with the Cowboys, said he had no hard feelings towards his teammates who initially tried to talk him out of doing it solo and who ultimately left him as the only one taking a knee.
“I had already told teammates and coaches that I was going to it,” Poe said. “That’s where my head was at. My teammates were telling me that they didn’t want me to do it by myself alone because we’re a team. But I had told them my mind was already made up and I felt this way. And if they didn’t, don’t do it. Don’t do it unless your heart is there like mine was. I appreciate my guys for sticking with me for being behind me.”
There were no huge displays in support of social justice on the field before the game.
The Cowboys stood on the field along the end zone for the playing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem. The Rams were in the locker room save for two players, offensive lineman David Edwards and linebacker Micah Kiser.
All then left the field and returned to the locker room before coming back out for the national anthem.
In pre-game warmups, a majority of the Rams players wore black shirts emblazoned with, “It Takes All Of Us.”
A number of Cowboys coaches wore shirts with messages on them, including Cowboys receivers coach Adam Henry with “We All Bleed The Same Color” on the front and “It Takes All Of Us” on the back.
This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 7:54 PM.
