Labor Union Files a Complaint Over Jerry Jones' Anthem Mandate

Bryan Michalek | October 11, 2017
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After declaring that any of his players who kneel during the National Anthem would be disciplined, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has received a formal complaint from a local labor union. 

According to ESPN, Local 100 of the United Labor Unions claim Jones has violated the National Labor Relations Act by threatening players if they choose not to stand for the anthem. 

Jones claimed earlier this week that "If there is anything disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period," adding "We're going to respect the flag and I'm going to create the perception of it."

“The main thing I want to do is make it real clear – there is no room here if it comes between looking non-supportive of our players and of each other or creating the impression that you’re disrespecting the flag, we will be non-supportive of each other. We will not disrespect the flag,” Jones added.

According to Star-Telegram, Local 100 filed the complaint Tuesday with the Fort Worth office of the National Labor Relations Board, requesting that they "investigate preemptively in order to prevent illegal firings of players."

The union's chief organizer, Wade Rathke, has accused Jones of violating the act, which prohibits employers from intimidating or threatening workers for their "concerted activity." 

Rathke said the NFL has already established that there isn't a mandate that requires players to stand during the anthem and added that every player has the right to protest at their workplace. 

According to Yahoo! Sports, the NFL's operations manual states that players "should" stand for the anthem, a position that had also been laid out by commissioner Roger Goodell in a recent statement. In that very letter, Goodell writes "Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem." but also adding "We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues."  

As of now, this hot-button issue shows no signs of going away anytime soon.

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