One member of the Cowboys takes a knee during anthem
Only one made the call.
Everyone wanted to know how the national anthem was going to go down when the Dallas Cowboys took the field. Despite all the leadup, it was defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who signed with the team this offseason, kept strong on his promise to take a knee during the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Poe is the first player to kneel during the anthem in the four years since Colin Kapernick began this method of protest.
When Poe stated he was going to kneel, it contradicted what owner Jerry Jones said about the members of the Cowboys standing for the anthem. However, it appears that Jones is easing up on his stance.
“We all do understand where I stand relative to the national anthem and the flag,” Jones said recently on 105.3 The Fan. “On the other hand, I really do recognize our times we’re in. I recognize the ability of the Cowboys to use the visibility and interest we have to support the players. As I’ve said earlier, we’ll come down in a way that gives us a chance to move the ball forward. Move the ball positively forward.”
Before Week 1, Poe had talked to management about his feelings.
“We had a team meeting where he kind of expressed a couple of feelings and he always told us that he has an open for us to talk to him at any time,” Poe said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer in late August. “So I look forward to taking advantage of that and just being able to understand how he’s feeling about it.”
Poe looks to bolster the team’s defense after coming over from the Carolina Panthers. Poe finished 2019 with 22 total tackles and four sacks, which was his best season for sacks since 2014.