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Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Says 'Recognizing The Flag Is A Salute To Our Country' In Response to Protests

But is this an ultimatum to the players of "America's Team"?

With a nickname like "America's Team," you should already know where the Dallas Cowboys stand on the increasing number of NFL players protesting during the national anthem as a stance against racial injustices.

But if you weren't clear on it, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones emphasized the importance of his players respecting the flag.

"I just feel so strongly that the act of recognizing the flag is a salute to our country and all of the people that have sacrificed so that we can have the liberties we have," Jones said earlier this week on The Fan's Shan and RJ radio show, as reported by DallasNews.com. "I feel very strongly that everyone should save that moment for the recognition of the flag in a positive way, so I like the way the Cowboys do it."

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett expressed much of the same sentiment last week, as reported by DallasNews.com, so the organization seems to be on the same page.

"The national anthem is sacred. The flag is sacred," he said. "And our team has demonstrated that."

Upon hearing this, we can't help but wonder if Jones's words serve as a thinly veiled ultimatum, warning the Cowboys' players to not take part in an anthem protest. Hmm ...

Well, for what it's worth, Cowboys running back Darren McFadden said that Jones has never approached the locker room of players to tell them to stand during the anthem.

"No, sir, he hasn't come in and said that to us personally," McFadden said, while speaking with NBC Sports Radio, as reported by USA Today Sports

He added: "For us as a team, that's something that we take pride in, so you know we want to go out there and do it the right way and just handle ourselves like we should."

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