Once upon a time, kneeling during a Dallas Cowboys game was unheard of.
It’s a new decade and new trends are following.
New defensive tackle, Dontari Poe, told reporters that he plans to kneel during the national anthem this season. His reasoning is that he will use this platform to protest social justice.
This contradicts owner Jerry Jones’ statements that members of the Cowboys will stand for the anthem. However, it appears that Jones is easing up on his stance.
“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. “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.
“Dontari Poe has started 118 games in the league during stints with Chiefs, Falcons and Panthers,” said NFL Insider Jori Epsetin, when the deal was announced. “Had surgery for a torn quad in November. Before that, he started 10 of 11 available games in Carolina last season- 4 sacks, 22 tackles from interior DL.”
The contract is worth over $10 million over the course of two years.
For a newcomer, this is a bold move for Poe, especially given the history of Jones’ comments on the matter. The Cowboys open up their season on Sunday, September 13th against the Los Angeles Rams.