As training camp opened late last month, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones made it clear that he expects his players to stand for the national anthem. The face of the franchise, third-year quarterback Dak Prescott, had no issue with the decree and no plans to protest. "I never protest," Prescott said on July 27. "I never protest during the anthem, and I don't think that's the time or the venue to do so."

Prescott drew criticism for his remarks. Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead tweeted this:

And a Dallas artist depicted Prescott as the main character in "Get Out."

Prescott says he expected the backlash and wasn't surprised by it.

"I made my statements. I stand by what I said," he said Sunday, according to ESPN.com. "Some people may have misunderstood or whatever, but I know what I said, and I feel strongly about what I said. It is what it is."

As for the mural, Prescott said, "Everybody has their own opinion."

But the quarterback wasn't alone in his decision to stand for the anthem.

"Us as a team, we chose to stand together for the national anthem," running back Ezekiel Elliott said recently. "It was our decision. I think it just shows our culture. It shows that we have unity. We're going to stand as one. That's not knocking anyone else who may choose to kneel during the national anthem. But we're the Dallas Football Cowboys, America's Team. We stand for the national anthem."

And linebacker Sean Lee added: "I think I'm going to do what I've always done and stand. Obviously, I believe that there's social injustice that needs to change in this country that's very serious. But I also believe that I'm going to stand for the anthem, because I feel like I'm blessed to be an American, and I'm blessed to have two grandfathers who served."

Last September, following league-wide player protests in response to President Donald Trump's comments, Jones took a knee and linked arms with his players prior to the national anthem in the Cowboys-Cardinals game, but he has since made it clear that he wants his players standing for the anthem.

And his son, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, hinted recently that any Cowboys player protesting during the national anthem would be released from the team.