Cowboys, Owner Take a Knee Before Anthem

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined players, coaches, and team execs in an impressive display of unity before Monday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals. They took a knee before the national anthem, drawing boos from some members of the crowd in Arizona, before standing locked arm in arm during the anthem, ESPN reports. Many Cardinals also linked arms, though they didn't kneel before the anthem. Jones—one of seven NFL owners to donate to President Trump's inaugural committee—became the first owner to take a knee with players after a weekend of demonstrations against Trump's criticism of player protests, the Washington Post reports.

Sources tell the Dallas Morning News that the Cowboys met several times in recent days to consider a response to Trump's comments that would satisfy both those who wanted to protest and those who wanted to stand for the anthem. The plan was only finalized 20 minutes before kickoff. "I've never been prouder of my association with players and a coaching staff as I am with this crew," Jones said after the Cowboys' 28-17 win. "We all agreed that our players wanted to make a statement about unity and equality." Asked about Trump's remarks, Jones said: "I made my mind up on this issue that I wasn't going to comment. I want actions to be louder than words. And we did it. We made our statement." (More Dallas Cowboys stories.)