After Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones undermined the NFL/NFLPA agreement to halt the national anthem policy as the two sides continue to talk about it, the league reportedly told Jones to stop talking about the issue. Jones, who took it upon himself to say his team will stand for the anthem even as the NFL and the union figures that out, was told by the NFL to not talk about the anthem according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Hill wrote that Mike Doocy of Fox 4 in Dallas was told at the last minute by Cowboys public relations he couldn’t ask Jones about the anthem, so Doocy canceled a scheduled interview with him. [Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free] It’s rare for Jones, who probably speaks to the media more than all other NFL owners combined, to turn down the opportunity to talk about any subject. Why is the NFL trying to get Jones to quiet down? Here’s another reminder that the NFL brought this upon itself. Instead of talking about Dak Prescott’s chances of a rebound or how the Cowboys will replace Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, we’re into a third season of this story hovering over the league. The NFL’s impossibly short-sighted decision to develop a policy, in which players on the field were required to stand for the anthem or stay in the locker room, gave new life to the story. Jones fueled the flames. The NFLPA and NFL, in a rare accord, said they’d talk more about the policy and put a freeze on enacting it. Jones blew that apart by saying all the Cowboys would be required to stand for the anthem. That became an even bigger story when Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins called Jones a bully, and President Donald Trump congratulated Jones. The extra attention is making the issue even more contentious, and that didn’t seem possible. The NFL screwed this up to an amazing level. Instead of letting the issue be — only a handful of players by the end of last season were demonstrating to bring attention to social issues — the league made sure this is what we’re talking about as the preseason starts. The NFL can tell Jones to be quiet about it now, but it’s the league’s fault we’re talking about this at all. Story continues What happens next? Jones speaks in a lot of group settings, and many reporters won’t care if the Cowboys rather nobody ask Jones about the anthem. We’ll see if Jones can maintain his silence on an issue that he clearly believes in. It’s not like Jones has had a problem defying the NFL before. The negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA will probably be trickier because Jones has already said he’ll have his own policy. Even if the NFL and NFLPA come up with a new policy, good luck getting Jones to adhere to it after what he said. It’s not like we’ve heard the last from Jones on this subject, either. Commissioner Roger Goodell, in announcing the anthem policy, said the NFL wanted the focus to go back on football. The league made sure that won’t happen. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has reportedly been told by the NFL to not talk about the anthem policy. (AP) – – – – – – – Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!<doc-sep>Matt York/Associated Press Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently made headlines by saying his team has a policy that its players stand for the national anthem, and those comments certainly got the attention of one of the NFL's most outspoken players. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman didn't mince words when speaking about Jones to USA Today's Jarrett Bell on Monday: "The owner of the Dallas Cowboys, with the old plantation mentality. What did you expect?" The NFL implemented a new policy in May, one that gave the players the option to stand for the anthem on the sideline or remain in the locker room: However, the league and the players association recently decided to freeze the policy as they continue to discuss the controversial matter. Sherman acknowledged that he's encouraged by the league's willingness to discuss the matter with players. "They're having the conversations; that’s awesome," Sherman said, via Bell. "But there are unintended consequences. If they did this (original policy) to appease people, they didn't appease anyone. It's like putting a Band-Aid over a broken leg." Jones didn't do himself any favors by taking a hard stance on the anthem controversy. He has recently come under scrutiny for not removing his hat during the anthem: Video Play Button Videos you might like Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram reported Monday that the NFL has asked Jones to stop talking about his team's anthem policy. Jones was involved in Dallas' show of unity last season. The team knelt on the field together before the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner": That demonstration earned praise from Sherman, who told The Undefeated's Domonique Foxworth that it was "admirable" Jones took a knee with his players rather than just issue a statement.<doc-sep>
AP Regardless of whether the NFL previously had an anthem policy gag order, it has one now. Even if it only relates to one owner. Via Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the NFL has instructed Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to quit talking about the anthem policy. Last week, Jones said that his players will be on the sideline and standing for the anthem, ignoring both the fact that the NFL’s Anthem Policy 2.0 (which currently has been tabled) permits players to stay in the locker room and the fact that the NFL and NFL Players Association may negotiate an Anthem Policy 3.0 that preserves in some way the players’ right to protest during the anthem. Jones had been scheduled to conduct a round of interviews on Sunday evening with Dallas-area media outlets, and those outlets were informed that there could be no questions about the anthem policy. FOX 4 canceled its interview given the limitation on the questioning. Via Hill, Mike Doocy of FOX 4 explained that he made the decision to kill the interview after being told at the last minute he couldn’t ask any questions about the anthem policy. While it would have been better for Doocy to have been allowed to ask the questions with Jones simply declining to answer, it’s hard to pass on a chance to sit down with Jones, even with restrictions. Given the Dez Bryant situation and every other issue involving America’s team, why not do the interview and simply tell the audience that, shortly before the session started, the Cowboys slammed the door on any anthem questions? The league has now slammed the door on any anthem comments from Jones. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be punished for the things he already has said. Given that this would simply give the primary resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue another reason to attack the NFL, the league may choose not to pick Jerry’s deep pockets over this one — unless he defies the direct order to quit talking about the anthem policy.