Malcolm Jenkins Calls Jerry Jones a 'Bully' for Comments on Anthem Policy

Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins called Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a "bully" for saying Cowboys players must stand for the national anthem. 

Jenkins said Friday he's engaged in conversations with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie about protests during the anthem and has noticed a major difference compared to what he's heard from Jones.

"Jeffrey's been very supportive of us from the beginning," he told reporters. "I don't see Jeffrey as a bully like Jerry Jones is. Lucky for me, I don't play for the Cowboys, nor would I want to. It's unfortunate that you have owners like him that use his position to intimidate and intentionally thwart even the idea of his players thinking individually or having a voice about issue that effect their communities daily. It's unfortunate."

Jenkins also explained he believes NFL owners are trying to solve a complex problem by trying to make everybody happy, and it's had the opposite result.

"They're afraid of our president," he said. "I think they're afraid of half of our fan base so they try to appease both sides and they end up not satisfying anybody."

President Donald Trump praised Jones on Twitter for his stance on the anthem policy.

"Way to go Jerry," Trump wrote Friday. "This is what the league should do!"

NFL owners previously approved a plan in May that would have allowed the league to fine teams who had a player protest on the field during the anthem. The organization could have then handed down its own discipline to players, who held the option to remain in the locker room.

Last week, the Players Association announced enforcement of that policy would be delayed after the sides reached a "standstill agreement" pending further discussions.

A Yahoo Sports/YouGov poll conducted with NFL viewers about the policy found 53 percent of respondents supported it, 32 percent opposed it and 15 percent answered neither/no opinion.

The NFL has not announced a timetable for a final decision about the issue for the 2018 regular season, which starts Sept. 6.