N.F.L. Owners’ Unity With Players Might Be Short-Lived
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, keeping with his preference for dramatic flourishes, went further than any other owner when he knelt with his team before the national anthem
for his team’s game with the Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz. Before Monday, Jones had been among the most vocal owners in saying he preferred that his players stand for the anthem.
games to watch great competition on the playing field and that’s where our focus should be.”
While some of the owners said they support the players’ right to speak out, they also worry about a backlash and recognize
that many spectators object to protests during the national anthem.
While it is too early to know if the protests will continue,
and in what form, Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and on Sunday the first owner to be seen linking arms with his players on the sidelines, has said he would not continue the practice in the coming weeks.
teams locking arms with their players on the sidelines Sunday in a dramatic statement of defiance to a president who ridiculed their sport
and condemned players for refusing to stand during the national anthem as a protest against racism.
“At this point, I want to get away from politics and if they are going to continue protest, then I don’t need to spend my money
there,” said Brandon Gill, a realtor from Jacksonville, Fla., who is considering giving up his Jaguars season tickets.
“Football and politics don’t mix easily,” the Cincinnati Bengals, whose owner is Mike Brown, said in a statement Monday.
“There was a lot of sharing and the league was kind of a clearinghouse,” said Joe Lockhart, an N. F.L.