LeBron James stops supporting Dallas Cowboys over pro-national anthem team policy: 'Didn’t think that was appropriate'



NBA superstar LeBron James says he stopped supporting the Dallas Cowboys because they did not kneel for the national anthem.

What is the background?

After the NFL updated its rules to permit players to remain in the locker room during the national anthem, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reiterated his team's policy: They honor the national anthem.

"I will speak for one, and everybody knows where we stand, and we stand as a team," Jones said in July 2018. "Our policy is that you stand at the anthem, toe on the line."

What did James say?

Speaking on Instagram Live, James, a longtime Cowboys fan, said on Thursday that he stopped being a fan of the Cowboys over their stance on kneeling.

"There were just a lot of things that were going on during when guys were kneeling and guys were having freedom of speech," James said.

"They wanted to do it in a very peaceful manner," he claimed. "A lot of people in their front office and a lot of people that ran the organization were like, ‘If you do that around here, then you will never play for this franchise again.'"

"And I just didn’t think that was appropriate so," he added.

\u201cLeBron James on why he\u2019s not @dallascowboys fan anymore:\n\n\u201cNah man I had to sit put on the Cowboys man. It just a things that were going on when guys were kneeling... [The] organization were like if do that around here you won\u2019t play for this franchise again.\u201d\n\n#DallasCowboys\u201d
— Landon Buford (@Landon Buford) 1666914903

James, however, did not offer any evidence to back his claim that Cowboys' officials threatened their players if they kneeled.

In fact, there is evidence to the contrary.

After Jones publicly reiterated his team's policy, Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott said the team agreed with Jones.

"Us as a team, we chose to stand together for the national anthem. It was our decision. I think it just shows our culture. It shows that we have unity. We're going to stand as one," Elliott said.

"That's not knocking anyone else who may choose to kneel during the national anthem," he added. "But we're the Dallas Football Cowboys, America's Team. We stand for the national anthem."

Anything else?

James said he is now "all in" on his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns.

Dallas Cowboys draw social media ire for partnering with gun-themed coffee company



The Dallas Cowboys' marketing team took to Twitter to announce a new partnership with the gun-themed coffee business Black Rifle Coffee Company, and as might be expected, the social media mob reacted with outrage and disgust.

"#CowboysNation, please welcome America's Coffee to America's Team," the official account for the Cowboys tweeted on Tuesday.

"We are celebrating America's birthday all week long by giving away (two) tickets to a #DallasCowboys home game & a (one)-year subscription to @blckriflecoffee!"

However, many in "CowboysNation" and elsewhere did not take kindly to the announcement, especially in the wake of the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, less than two months ago.

"Impeccable timing. Truly. Guys," one responder posted. "This was literally 6 weeks ago IN YOUR STATE, and there was a mass shooting YESTERDAY. 'T&Ps to Uvalde. So sad. Also, buy this black rifle coffee.'"

Another user dubbed the Cowboys/Black Rifle partnership "Mass Shooting Morning Blend," a play on Black Rifle's many coffee flavors with military and firearm-related names, such as Silencer Smooth, Gunship, AK-47, and Murdered Out.

Still, not all the backlash against the Cowboys came from gun control advocates or those on the far left. Some on the right still bear a grudge against Black Rifle for comments that company executives made about some of their former supporters to the New York Times a year ago.

"It’s such a repugnant group of people,” Black Rifle co-founder and CEO Evan Hafer said about some conservatives. “It’s like the worst of American society, and I got to flush the toilet of some of those people that kind of hijacked portions of the brand.

“The racism [expletive] really pisses me off,” Hafer said. “I hate racist, Proud Boy-ish people. Like, I’ll pay them to leave my customer base. I would gladly chop all of those people out of my [expletive] customer database and pay them to get the [expletive] out.”

Still others have embraced the new relationship between America's Team and a veteran-owned business that is "committed to supporting veterans, law enforcement, and first responders," according to its mission statement.

Chris Loesch, husband of noted Second Amendment rights advocate Dana Loesch, called it "awesome," while a user calling herself "lei" said, "I am not even a cowboys fan and I love this sponsor The coffee is actually good and thank you America’s team for supporting Veterans."

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the Dallas Daily Sentinel that the team plans to sell Black Rifle coffee products at AT&T Stadium this fall.

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott praises fans who threw trash at referees after playoff loss to 49ers: 'Credit to them'



Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott served up a big dose of poor sportsmanship — along with some of his team's fans — after a down-to-the-wire wild-card playoff game loss Sunday to the hated San Francisco 49ers.

What did he say?

When asked at a postgame press conference about Cowboys fans at AT&T Stadium throwing trash on the field following their team's 23-17 defeat, Prescott launched into a soliloquy about how he and his teammates give their heart and soul to the game and that such a reaction from fans toward players is "sad."

Really classy of eagles fans to disguise as cowboys fans and throw trashpic.twitter.com/K7Ptm3ikhN
— Sean \ud83d\udc3c mtingO6 hater (@Sean \ud83d\udc3c mtingO6 hater) 1642383231

"I understand fans and the word 'fan' for fanatic, I get that, but to know everything that we put into this, day in and day out, try our hardest," Prescott said. "Nobody comes into the game wanting or expecting to lose, and for people to react that way when you're supposed to be a supporter and be with us through thick and thin, that's tough."

But when Prescott was informed that fans were throwing trash at the referees as they were leaving the field, the losing QB's perspective changed dramatically.

"Credit to them, then," Prescott said of hometown fans, amid reporters' laughter. "Credit to them."

"Credit to them then. Credit to them."\n\nDak Prescott voiced support for fans who threw trash at referees Sunday #DallasCowboyspic.twitter.com/1jCAoZvQ3P
— Sports Illustrated (@Sports Illustrated) 1642389758

According to Michael Gehlken, Cowboys reporter for the Dallas Morning News, Prescott also said, “The fans felt the same way as us. I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast. I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out.”

What's the background?

Down by seven points with no timeouts and just 14 seconds remaining in the contest, Dallas appeared to have all the momentum and drove down to San Francisco's 41-yard line.

On what would ultimately be the final play, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott shockingly ran the ball instead of throwing it to a receiver who might scamper out of bounds and stop the clock, giving Dallas a reasonable final shot at the end zone.

Prescott's run netted the Cowboys another 17 yards, but seconds kept ticking away. Each team had to get set, and the ball had to be spotted so Prescott could spike it and stop the clock.

And with about six seconds left, Prescott got up after his run and handed the ball to his center, who then placed the pigskin on the turf.

Problem is, an official is supposed to spot the ball.

Crazy ending

Umpire Ramon George ran up behind Prescott and the Dallas line, made bodily contact with them as he squeezed his way through, then placed the football a yard or two backward — all as precious seconds ticked away.

But by the time the ball was snapped, the clock had run out. And it was yet another heartbreaking Dallas playoff loss.

According to Field Yates, an NFL Insider for ESPN, the Cowboys have now made 11 straight playoff appearances without reaching a conference championship game, which is the longest streak by any team in NFL history.

CHAOTIC ENDING TO COWBOYS/49ERS WILD CARD GAME🤭 | NFL Playoffs 2022youtu.be

After the game, referee Alex Kemp said the umpire "spotted the ball correctly," ESPN said, citing a pool report.

"He collided with the players as he was setting the ball because he was moving it to the proper spot," Kemp added, the sports network said.

What else was said about the officiating?

ESPN said the Cowboys were displeased with the officiating throughout the game. Dallas was penalized 14 times — a postseason franchise record, the sports network said — for 89 yards. What's more, ESPN said the Cowboys were the most penalized team in the NFL during the regular season.

"When we were younger, we just said it was bias, you know, people just hate the Cowboys," rookie Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons said, according to the sports network. "I just think we were playing hard, you know. I think when you tend to play hard and you want to make a play, you tend to jump offsides, or you tend to put a hands to the face, or you know you might hold by accident, or even if it wasn't a hold you never know how they might perceive it. I just felt like a couple of [the penalties] were very questionable and very bias[ed] towards us. But then again, it's our fault, we shouldn't be put in that position. I'm going to take full accountability, and I hope everyone else does, too."

The Cowboys' flamboyant owner and general manager Jerry Jones added to ESPN that his team "shouldn't have been in position for that last play to be something controversial. So I'm not going to make it something bigger than it is."

What was said about Prescott's 'credit to them' comment?

As you might guess, not everyone on Twitter was in line with Prescott praising Cowboys fans for throwing trash at referees after the game:

  • "And ⁦@dak⁩ is the ⁦@dallascowboys⁩ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee?" one observer wondered. "So this represents the best of the Dallas Cowboys?"
  • "Saying 'credit to them' in reference to debris bring hurled at refs because he doesn't know how football works makes him look like trash," another commenter said.
  • "They/He should be fined heavily for that comment for inciting future violence against people, being it players or referees," another user declared. "Such a disgrace!"
  • "Typical! You made a BIG mistake, don't blame the umpire for doing his job and following the RULES!" another commenter said.