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  • 2016-09-12 (xsd:date)
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  • Did an NFL Owner Order His Players to Stand During the National Anthem? (en)
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  • Before the start of the 2016 NFL season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick touched off a nationwide controversy declining to stand during the pre-game playing of the U.S. national anthem, holding that he was engaging in a form of protest that involved refusing to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. As other players around the league began picking up on Kaepernick's protest and also take a knee during the playing of the anthem, rumor began to spread that entire teams might opt to do the same before games played on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. In the aftermath of that event (which saw some players, but no teams, declining to stand during the anthem), an item was circulated online holding that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went into the locker room before his team's game on 11 September 2016 and informed his players that they were actors playing the role of patriotic super heroes and therefore had to stand during the playing of the U.S. national anthem that day: However, this item did not originate with a report by news organization and does not relay a real incident that took place between Jones and Dallas Cowboy team members. This dialogue was an invented one posted by Facebook user Richie Newberry in an attempt to make a point about the NFL players who chose to kneel or sit during the national anthem as a protest of social injustice. The Facebook post referenced above depicted two scenarios: In the first, Jones told his players that they must stand for the national anthem; in the second, the players recognized the importance of the day and made the decision on their own. A slightly altered version of this fake quote was also circulated on social media: Although Jones didn't actually deliver this fiery pre-game speech, he did say after the game that he was proud of his team for standing during the national anthem and disappointed in the players on other teams who didn't: A later version of this item was altered to attribute the speech to Clark Hunt, CEO and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs. On 25 September 2017, amid a fiery debate over whether professional athletes are correct in kneeling in conjunction with the national anthem to protest violence by police against civilians, Cowboys players and owner Jerry Jones all linked arms and kneeled together in a sign of unity prior to the anthem: Despite the fact that Jones knelt arm in arm with Dallas Cowboys players prior to the national anthem on 25 September 2017, fake quotes attributed to the team's owner continued to circulate on social media: Although Jones did not utter the quotes above, the Cowboys owner appeared to muddy his position on the protests on 8 October 2017 when he said: If we are disrespecting the flag then we won't play. (en)
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