Tyrone Crawford: Cowboys players “definitely have a green light” to express themselves on social justice

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When last we heard publicly from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, he was hoping to fashion a compromise that would result in players standing for the national anthem. Where things currently stand continues to be far from clear.

In addition to Wednesday’s comments from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who endorsed individual expressions without directly addressing whether players definitely will kneel during the anthem, another players shined more light on the subject.

Defensive end Tyrone Crawford, for example, said that the players “definitely have a green light” to express themselves when it comes to social justice, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Crawford also said that players “want to do something that makes a boom.”

Again, that’s not a clear indication that players will kneel during the anthem. It’s entirely possible that the Cowboys have told the players that they can express themselves however they want when it comes to social justice, but that it’s important that they stand during the national anthem in order to not dilute the message by inviting criticism from those who refuse to separate kneeling from disrespect of the flag, the military, and the country.

The fact that none of these messages are coming from Jerry or Stephen Jones points generally in this direction. Indeed, if the Cowboys had decided over the course of the past nine days to abandon the desire to strike a deal that would ditch the desire to persuade players to stand and instead to let players do whatever they choose to do during the anthem, someone from the team’s ownership level would have said so by now. The fact that the comments are coming from the players feels the first step in creating the perception that the solution comes from the players, and that the players have chosen to stand during the anthem and to express their individual views on social justice through other avenues, possibly in a way that creates a different kind of “boom.”

However it plays out, we’ll find out in 10 days, when the Cowboys open the season with a visit to the Rams on Sunday Night Football.