Richard Sherman slammed The Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones’ stance on the NFL players protesting the national anthem.
In May, the league said it would financially penalize players if they knelt during the anthem but wouldn’t face consequences if they protested by staying in the locker room. But afterwards, Jones said that every Cowboy would have to be on the field for the song and stand “toe on the line.”
“The owner of the Dallas Cowboys, with the old plantation mentality,” stated Sherman when he was asked about Jones’ policy.
The 6’3” cornerback also talked about the NFL putting their new rules on hold until they’re able to improve it. This was after their initial policy was met with heavy criticism from players, fans and the players union.
But the way Sherman sees it, the talks are a sign that things are going in the right direction, however, he said the league still hasn’t gotten to the root of the problem — in terms of why people want to protest in the first place.
“They’re having the conversations, that’s awesome,” said Sherman, who’s also a member of the NFL Players Association Executive Committee. “But there are unintended consequences. If they did this [original policy] to appease people, they didn’t appease anyone. It’s like putting a band-aid over a broken leg.”
A few people who didn’t like what the football star had to say went on Twitter and criticized him.
“It seems as though some NFL players forget they’re employees,” tweeted @rcbvt.
“If you don’t like it, loser, move to Russia,” wrote @catconn129.
But at least one person seemed to stand behind Sherman and blasted the entire Cowboys organization.
“I’ve been a Cowboy fan for 2 decades,” the person wrote. “Between the domestic violence and forced patriotism, I can officially say ‘Go panthers.’”
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Eagle safety Malcolm Jenkins said his team owner Jeffrey Lurie is in favor of players protesting if they choose.
“Jeffrey’s been very supportive of us from the beginning,” he stated. “I don’t see Jeffrey as a bully like Jerry Jones is. Lucky for me, I don’t play for the Cowboys, nor would I want to.”
“It’s unfortunate that you have owners like him that use his position to intimidate and intentionally thwart even the idea of his players thinking individually or having a voice about issues that affect their communities daily,” added Jenkins.
