The Cowboys have not had a player join the national anthem protest since Colin Kaepernick became a face of the movement last season. That will change tonight, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Not every player might participate, according to Hill, but at least some will.
“It’s not going to be business as usual,” a player told Hill. "[President Trump] crossed a line. Something will be done.”
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Saturday he did not expect any of his players to protest. That, though, came before Sunday’s outpouring of protests around the league. Some teams linked arms. Some stayed in the locker room for the national anthem. Some had individual players take a knee.
Garrett has made it clear he likes his team to stand during the national anthem.
“The national anthem is sacred. Our flag is sacred. And our team has demonstrated that,” Garrett said last month.
According to the Dallas Morning News, only five other teams -- the Cardinals, Bears, Vikings, Bengals and Jets -- have not had a player protest by kneeling, sitting or raising a fist during the pregame anthem the past two seasons.
The Cowboys remain one of only two teams not to issue some sort of statement, though one could come closer to game time tonight. (A Panthers spokesman said owner Jerry Richardson would not make a statement.)
UPDATE 4:15 P.M.: Panthers owner Jerry Richardson issued a statement this afternoon, leaving the Cowboys as the only team not to issue one.