Jerry Jones confronted by protesters over national anthem stance

Jerry Jones was confronted by two protesters for his national anthem stance Tuesday while on his way into the NFL fall owners meetings in a Battery Park City hotel.

The Cowboys owner said nine days ago that any Dallas player who does not stand for the anthem will not play. He had previously locked arms and taken a knee with his team, before the anthem was played, after President Donald Trump called protesting players a “son of a b---h.”

Carl Dix, an African-American man, and Linda Solotaire, a white woman, were in the Conrad New York lobby when they spotted Jones with his son Stephen and daughter Charlotte, both Cowboys executives. Dix and Solotaire represent a group called RefuseFascism.org.

Dix said he told Jones: “We have seen where your program of muzzling black football players has come down to. The players are right to take a knee during the national anthem to highlight racial injustice to black people.”

Jones seemed surprised and then unfazed by the protesters and was led away by security. The two protesters were shouting, “Take a knee against white supremacy."

As this was going on, Roger Goodell and 11 owners, including John Mara of the Giants, were meeting at the league’s midtown offices on Park Avenue with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and 13 players, including Kelvin Beachum and Demario Davis of the Jets and Mark Herzlich of the Giants. That preceded the regularly scheduled ownership meeting. They were discussing social reform programs and the protests during the national anthem by players, which has created backlash against the league by some fans and sponsors.

There were about five or six protesters standing outside the hotel. Dix and Solotaire were the only two who had gone up a flight of stairs to the lobby to speak to Jones, who did not respond to them.

After confronting Jones, Dix spoke out against the Trump-Pence administration and announced his group is organizing a Nov. 4 event. According to a card they were handing out, “We will take to the streets across this country and stay there — day after day, night after night — not stopping until our demand is met: this Nightmare Must End! The Trump/Pence Regime must go! No! In the name of humanity we refuse to accept a Fascist America.”