UPDATE:
The entire team took a knee before the anthem and then stood up and linked arms. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his family partook in the demonstration. Many fans booed.
The @dallascowboys are arm-in-arm on the field now. @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/vu3uthIISH
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) September 26, 2017
#HowBoutThemCowboys pic.twitter.com/POzmT1nB1s
— Rayadiablo (@jorelps) September 26, 2017
Earlier article:
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Some Dallas Cowboys players have a “plan” to “protest” the U.S. national anthem during “Monday Night Football,” according to the Star-Telegram newspaper in a report on Monday afternoon.
One player said, “We have to do something” during the national anthem.
Added another to the paper: “Something will be done.”
But according to a report from CBS Dallas, sources said the team has a plan for “unity” during the anthem. “Our statement will be a statement of unity,” according to an unknown “team leader.”
No Cowboys player has protested during anthem.
CBS Dallas reporter Mike Fisher wrote: “I’m told the players have discussed the locking of arms during the Anthem.”
The anthem protests were started when former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during preseason games, drawing intense media scrutiny. Kaepernick and others said they were protesting against police brutality and racism in the United States. But many critics have said that the protest shows disrespect to the national anthem and the United States itself.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett told the Dallas News over the weekend that he doesn’t think there will be protests—following comments that President Donald Trump made about players not standing during the anthem.
Terrance Smith No. 48, Eric Fisher No.72, Demetrius Harris No. 84, and Cameron Erving No. 75 of the Kansas City Chiefs are seen taking a knee before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at the StubHub Center on Sept. 24, 2017, in Carson, Calif. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)“#StandForOurAnthem,” the president tweeted Monday. “Many people booed the players who knelt yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!” he added.
Garrett said he has no comment on what Trump said, noting: “I just don’t think it’s in anyone’s best interest for me to comment on that.”
The Dallas Cowboys are slated to play the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz. It’s unclear whether any Cardinals players will protest.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians over the weekend said that it’s up to the players to decide on that.
“That is an individual right of an American,” Arians said, Patch.com reported. “I’ve been in locker rooms for 25 years, and some of the most reputable men I’ve ever met wear that uniform.”
“To even overcome the things in their life to get to the NFL is amazing. What they’ve done in the last month for hurricane relief victims speaks volumes of what we’re all about in the NFL,” the coach added.
Over the weekend, Cardinals team owner Michael Bidwell issued a statement praising the players.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t respond to Trump’s latest statements.
In the past, however, Jones has gone on record saying that he doesn’t think the national anthem is the best time to protest.
“That’s not the place to do anything other than honor the flag and everybody that’s given up a little for it,” he said.
During Sunday’s games, around 200 NFL players knelt, sat, raised a fist, or engaged in some other form of protest during the anthem, according to Fox Sports.
