October 19, 2017
The Cowboys boss is the only owner not on message, not rowing in the same direction, and most certainly not feeling the flowery optimism shared by his fellow owners. And that continues to make him the wedge that invites Trump through the door and into the league’s business. And Jones isn’t moving. He still believes that players can and should be disciplined for protesting during the anthem. And if it happens in his franchise, he’s still capable of following through on a threat that would unravel everything and draw the NFL into a potential legal war. And as bad for business as protests might be now, a full-blown fight with players or the NFL Players Association might be worse.
As Mara put it, “No question it’s had an impact on the business. But it’s an important social issue and I think sometimes you have to put the interest of your business behind the interest of issues that are more important than that.”