Dallas Cowboys, including owner Jerry Jones, link arms, kneel ahead of national anthem
— -- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones linked arms and kneeled with the team's players ahead of the national anthem this evening.
On Sunday, NFL players, teams and owners across the league participated in a peaceful protest by kneeling, locking arms or skipping the playing of the national anthem all together in response to President Donald Trump's criticism of players who "disrespect" the U.S.
The Cowboys, who are in Arizona to face off against the Cardinals, stood and joined arms while the national anthem was sung, as did the Cardinals.
A photo tweeted by the Cowboys' Twitter account showed Jones kneeling alongside the players before the anthem's singing, with the caption "#FootballIsFamily."
"American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks performed the anthem with Proverb 31:8-9 written on her hand: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Trump ignited a firestorm of controversy this weekend after he called for kneeling players to be fired while speaking on Friday evening in Alabama.
"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say: 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now,'" Trump said.
Kneeling during the anthem was started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the 2016 preseason, who said he was protesting against the treatment of blacks in the United States. Kaepernick is black.
The president on Monday continued hammering his argument that kneeling during the national anthem is unpatriotic.
"It is about respect for our country, flag and national anthem," he tweeted. "NFL must respect this!"
ABC News' M.L. Nestel contributed to this report.
