The Dallas Cowboys players stood for the national anthem before the game on Sunday, Oct. 1, against the Los Angeles Rams.
Last week, the team and its owner, Jerry Jones, knelt for a few moments before the anthem then stood up with their arms locked.
But this week, there was no kneeling.
The Los Angeles Rams players also stood for the anthem, with only defensive end Robert Quinn raising a fist in the air throughout the song.
The protests started last season when former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the anthem, saying he was protesting “police brutality” and “racial injustice.”
He initially sat out on the bench, drawing widespread condemnation, then changed the form of his protest to taking a knee during the anthem. Kaepernick currently doesn’t play for an NFL team, but a number of players have followed suit, sitting or kneeling during the anthem.
Last week, at least 200 NFL players took a knee or engaged in another form of protest during the anthem after President Donald Trump said that players who don’t stand should be fired or suspended. Trump also said the TV ratings for the NFL, which have been declining, will drop even more if the protests continue.
Trump this week said that he spoke with Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, about the protests.
“Spoke to Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys yesterday. Jerry is a winner who knows how to get things done. Players will stand for Country!” the president tweeted on Sept. 27.
