Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is praising his quarterback Dak Prescott for the way he is handling the National Anthem scrutiny.
TMZ caught up with Jones, who told them he is “so proud” of Prescott and “the way he leads the team.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
The National Anthem kneeling-protest has been a hot topic in the NFL for some time now, with the organization recently issuing new guidelines regarding what they will and will not allow players to do on the field during the playing of the song.
“Our policy is you stand during the anthem, toe on the line,” Jones previously said of what he expects of his players. Prescott has voiced support for the new NFL policy, agreeing to stand during the National Anthem.
“I never protest during the anthem and I don’t think that’s the time or venue to do so,” Prescott previously said, as reported by Sports Illustrated. “The game of football has always brought me such at peace and I think it does the same for a lot of people playing the game, watching the game and a lot of people that have any impact of the game. So when you bring such a controversy to the stadium, to the field, to the game … it takes away. It takes away from the joy and to the love that football brings a lot of people.”
“I’m up for taking a next step whatever the step may be for action and not just kneeling,” he added. “I’ve always believed to stand up for what I believe in and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
The quarterback later clarified that his stance on choosing to stand during the National Anthem did not reflect his personal opinion on the protests.
“I do exactly what I’m doing and what I stand by whether I was wearing the star or not, whether I was playing for Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones or any other owner,” Prescott stated. “I believe in what I believe in and that’s that.”
While some have taken issue with Prescott’s stance — with someone even painting a mural of him appearing to be in the “sunken place” from the film Get Out — he has found support from some surprising places, included from rapper Ice Cube.
They made a sunken place mural of Dak Prescott 😂 pic.twitter.com/hU4NEFPw3r
— Abdul Memon (@abdulamemon) August 4, 2018
Cube told TMZ that he thought the mural was “bulls—” and sent a personal message to Prescott that he should do what he wants to do regardless of what other people think or say.
