Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens said the Cowboys team owner, Jerry Jones, is ‘being a bully” for his comments about players kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and inequality.
This lashback comes after Todd Archer of ESPN reported that Jones said Cowboys players will be required to stand for the national anthem during the 2018 season. President Donald Trump supported Jones’ decision.
Jerry Jones said players will be required to stand for the anthem and not stay in the locker room prior to the game. He said President Trump’s comments about the anthem situation have been “problematic,” and added, “everybody would like it to go away.”
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) July 25, 2018
Owens believes what Jones is doing is “totally wrong,” according to tweet from Fox Sports Radio on Sunday.
“You’re basically stripping someone of their right to do what they want do in a peaceful protest,” Owens said. “To put guys in a situation where they have to do something, that’s not right, that’s totally wrong.”
Owens, part of the 2018 Hall of Fame class, played three seasons for the Dallas Cowboys from 2006-2008. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Owens and Jones have disagreed publicly, after Jones called Owen’s decision to skip the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in protest of the voting process a “mistake.”
Owens is not the only NFL player to believe Jones’ decision is wrong. Eagles safety Malcom Jenkins appeared on NBC News last week to discuss anthem protests, disagreeing with those who call the protests “un-American,” according to New Jersey.
Jenkins said the protest is not about the military or an “anthem protest,” but police brutality and inequality. The rhetoric further divides the league, players, owners and even the country, Jenkins said. The continually pushed narrative is “frankly not true.”
“They [owners] are afraid of our president,” Jenkins continued. “I think they’re afraid of half of our fan base so they try to appease both sides and they end up not satisfying nobody.”
?? @terrellowens : “(Jerry Jones) is being a bully. You’re basically stripping someone of their right to do what they want to in a peaceful protest… To put guys in a situation where they have to do something, that’s not right. That’s totally wrong.”
? https://t.co/E1BoYreMHf pic.twitter.com/0VntexuNbw
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) July 30, 2018
Further in the conversation, Jenkins said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is supportive of the team and protests, and he does not see Jeffrey as a “bully like Jerry Jones is.” Ending his conversation, he said he’s grateful he doesn’t play for the Cowboys, touching on how unfortunate it would be to have an owner who uses their position to intimidate the team.
However, some of the Dallas Cowboys are reportedly fine with Jones’ comments. Dak Prescott, the Cowboys quarterback, said Friday at training camp that NFL games are not the time or place to protest, as the game of football as always been a place of peace for so many players and fans.
Running back Ezekiel Elliot also commented on the movement, saying the team “chose to stand together for the anthem,” according to the Star-Telegram.