Ex-Cowboys star calls out Jerry Jones, Jason Witten for skipping George Floyd protest
Dez Bryant isn’t thrilled and is using his Twitter voice to call out some important NFL figures as the country reels in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in Minneapolis police custody.
On Sunday, the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver took aim at Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, executive vice president Stephen Jones and his former teammate, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Jason Witten, for not attending the Black Lives Matter protests in Austin, Texas.
“Somebody should have brought Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and Jason Witten to this protest down in Austin,” Bryant tweeted on Sunday. “This is not a policy change, this is a heart change and yea I said it.”
Yahoo Sports took note that Bryant singled out the three without elaborating on why he didn’t mention any other former teammates who didn’t attend.
“I’m just going based off my personal experiences...” Bryant replied.
Jason Witten’s response
Witten responded to Bryant on Twitter in the early hours of Monday.
“Dez, when I saw your tweet, I tried to call you,” the former Cowboys great responded. “I don’t know what you’re feeling, but I do know what I stand for and believe in. I believe it’s time for change. I believe we must all listen. I believe together is the way. Let’s unite and impact change together. Much love.”
Bryant answered his former teammate with the “praying” emoji.
The burning question
The Cowboys, under Jones’ ownership since 1989, released a video featuring running back Ezekiel Elliott, quarterback Dak Prescott and others on Friday calling for the end of racial injustice.
“Our hearts are burning with anger and sadness,” the players say in the message. “Racism and hatred have to stop. We have to come together to change the system.”
In the wake of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ comments on players “disrespecting the flag” when they peacefully protest racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made a statement announcing he was “wrong” with how he handled the players’ protests.
“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people,” Goodell said. “We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest.”
One such person who had been outspoken about the peaceful protests was Jones. The owner said in 2017 that any player who kneels during the anthem would not take the field as a Dallas Cowboy.
“We cannot in any way give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag,” Jones said to reporters. “We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind, that the (NFL) and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag.”
The question is, did Bryant call out Jones based on his past remarks?
“I don’t feel like I’m calling them out, but I feel they will get a different understanding of what unity really look(s) like,” Bryant said on Twitter.
Jerry Jones has yet to respond to Bryant’s tweets.
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 12:46 PM with the headline "Ex-Cowboys star calls out Jerry Jones, Jason Witten for skipping George Floyd protest."