Cowboys’ Jason Garrett Expects DE Michael Bennett to Stand for National Anthem

Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett knows defensive end Michael Bennett has been passionate about social justice which has led to him either kneeling or being in the locker room while the national anthem is playing. However, when Garrett talked to reporters about Bennett this week, he expects that won’t be the case when he takes this field this weekend. Garrett said he expects Bennett to do what the rest of the team does and stand while the Star-Spangled Banner is playing.

“We don’t anticipate that being an issue,” Garrett said. “We’re excited to have him here. … We anticipate him doing what all of our players do.”

Last week, the Cowboys traded for Bennett from the New England Patriots. During his time in New England, Bennett stayed in the locker room when the national anthem was performed. It was the same thing in 2018 when Bennett was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. But according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, there have been times where Bennett has been on the sidelines with his team during the national anthem to show his support for the military.

“There have been exceptions in recent years. For example, Veterans Day weekend and a Salute to Service game fell on consecutive weeks in 2017,” Gehlken wrote. “Bennett, then with the Seattle Seahawks, made a point to stand on the sideline for those games, part of a stated effort to ensure his protest against racial inequality was not mistaken as a lack of support for U.S. military members. He previously had been sitting on the sideline bench during the anthem that season.”

The Cowboys are a team that wants their players to stand and on the sidelines during the national anthem. And according to Gehlken, Bennett and the Cowboys have reached an understanding he would stand during the anthem while he’s in Dallas.

Bennett has yet to talk to the media about the anthem or being a member of the Cowboys, but the veteran defensive end is ready to earn another Super Bowl ring. He originally signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009, but he then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers later that season after being cut by the Seahawks. Bennett would be in Tampa for four seasons before joining the Seahawks again. Along with winning a Super Bowl in 2013, Bennett reached the Pro Bowl three times and was named Pro Bowl MVP during his time in Seattle.