Jerry Jones: Colin Kaepernick workout was a 'circus' ... 'wasn't about football'
The Dallas Cowboys were not among the 25 teams to send a representative to Atlanta for Colin Kaepernick’s scheduled NFL-sanctioned workout on Saturday.
On Tuesday, owner Jerry Jones talked about why the Cowboys didn’t attend and addressed the controversy that ensued when Kaepernick ended up holding his own workout.
Kaepernick moved the workout after the NFL demanded that he sign a waiver that could jeopardize his employment protections in addition to prohibiting independent media from attending.
‘Wasn’t about football’
When asked by 105.3 The Fan in Dallas about the workout being a circus, Jones agreed.
“I think so,” Jones said. ... “That situation from the get go probably had a lot more that wasn't about football involved in it, and consequently we got the results of that dynamic.”
Jones said that he believes the spectacle surrounding the workout distracted from teams’ abilities to perform a proper evaluation of Kaepernick, who hasn’t played NFL football since 2016 in the aftermath of his social justice and police brutality protests during the national anthem.
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“I think it's unfortunate that you can't just zero in on the business at hand, and that is evaluating a player that might or might not help you win a football game or move the chains within a football game,” Jones continued.
Jones’ stance on anthem protests
Jones has built a brand around the controversy that the Cowboys won’t stand for players who kneel during the national anthem. The team hasn’t avoided players who have staged on-field protests, but Jones has made clear that once a player is a member of the Cowboys, he will stand during the national anthem.
“There’s one way to do it right in our mind, and that’s go toes on the line and stand for the anthem,” Jones said in 2017 at the height of the NFL’s anthem controversy.
The Cowboys recently traded for Michael Bennett, who has staged protests during the anthem in the past, but he has stood since joining Dallas.
Jones avoids question about Kaepernick not finding a job
Jones, who was deposed in Kaepernick’s collusion grievance against the NFL, declined on Tuesday to address whether he believes Kaepernick’s protests have hurt his employment prospects.
He explained that the Cowboys didn’t send a representative because they’re happy with their quarterback situation with Dak Prescott starting.
“We’re very fortunate right now that our quarterbacking is real good.”
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