Dallas Cowboys speak on racial unrest, while Jerry Jones remains silent
America’s Team has finally spoken, the NFL admitted it blew it, but the most powerful man in the league, and all of sports, has not said a word.
The NFL is no longer on the side of the president of the United States in this matter, which puts Jerry Jones in an awkward position.
The Dallas Cowboys released a well-produced, two-minute video on Friday to address the racial unrest that America is undergoing since George Floyd was killed by police in Minnesota nearly two weeks ago.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is included in the Cowboys’ video, as are Sean Lee, Tyrone Crawford and Byron Jones, who signed with the Miami Dolphins earlier this year.
By Friday afternoon, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took to social media and said the league was “wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter.”
So where art thou, Mr. Jerry Jones? Maybe he’s yachting.
Roger is PR. Jerry is power.
Now, don’t worry. When a gaggle of reporters corners him, Jerry is far too nice and accommodating to us media scum not to say something.
Expect it sound something like this: Well, candidly, I certainly am sensitive to the time that we are in, and the concerns of our players and are fans. Seriously, I love America. I love our fans, and I was like everybody else who saw those images and I was sick. Sick. I believe passionately that we will heal from this and be better because of it. I’m not trying to be trite.”
The question isn’t whether Jerry will say something. The question is whether Jerry will do something.
We know his position on standing for the national anthem, which is now a side issue again because of Drew Brees and then President Trump’s tweet on Friday supporting him. Brees responded, and actually rebuked our POTUS.
This all puts Jerry in a position he does not want — having to navigate a political minefield while maintaining his status as a good guy to his fans and players.
It’s one thing for Rog’ to come out and admit both he and the league made a mistake in not permitting players to express their social concerns. It’s quite another for Jerry to do it.
Until Jerry does something, and he prods his beloved NFL into doing more than just talk, these are nothing more than a collection of nice statements, cool videos, tax-deductible donations and empty nothings that will be forgotten once the season begins.
This does not mean the Cowboys should sign Colin Kaepernick to be their third-string quarterback. He has not played since 2016. His career is over.
But what Jerry and the Cowboys organization can do is simply get out of the way of their players, and permit them freedom to express themselves appropriately.
When it came to players kneeling during the national anthem, Jerry was a hard no. He saw the reaction from the fans, and how the movement affected TV ratings, and he told his team to “create the perception” of honoring the flag.
He also doesn’t want to offend his players who were hurt by censorship. Jerry may screw up a draft pick or two or 10, but he does not enjoy the role as the villain, especially on an issue like this.
Jerry’s problem is like so many of us who can’t conceive a world that many of his players come from, or the one that their families traverse daily.
What the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones can do is force the league into uncomfortable places, and be an example. Hire more guys like Will McClay, the Cowboys’ VP of player personnel.
Push the league into allowing their players to be vocal. Push the league to hire more black scouting directors, more black head coaches and more black general mangers. More men and women of color who tend to get overlooked, despite being competent and capable.
Jerry can’t be expected to fix all of it, but with his power he sets the example for others in America’s most visible sports league.
Jerry will eventually say something, because Jerry always does.
But it’s not a question of what Jerry says. It’s a question of what Jerry does.
This story was originally published June 6, 2020 at 12:58 PM.
