Cowboys' Dak Prescott on Anthem: 'I Hope We Can Express Ourselves Individually'

Protests against social injustice and systemic racism have revived on-field and on-court demonstrations during the national anthem in professional sports in recent months, and the NFL will likely be no exception with the 2020 season set to begin on Thursday, Sept. 10. 

On that note, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott spoke about what he hopes to see during and after any potential demonstration during the national anthem for his team, per ESPN's Ed Werder:

Prescott has refrained from kneeling during the anthem and said that he never would at a press conference in July 2018:

It's unclear what he will do in 2020, but he has been vocal about social injustice this summer.

Per K.D. Drummond of Cowboys Wire, Prescott made a series of Instagram posts discussing various topics, namely police brutality in the days after George Floyd, a Black man from Minneapolis, died in Minneapolis police custody on May 27. A Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd's neck while detaining him for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

Prescott wrote the following in one post:

"I have the utmost respect for those of you with a passion for protecting and serving your communities. When you chose to wear the badge of a police officer, you pledged to PROTECT life and property through the enforcement of our laws and regulations. How can you claim to uphold the law when those within your own ranks don't abide by it? You need to hold your own accountable! Each of you are as guilty as the men who stood beside Derek Chauvin if you do not stand up against the systemic racism plaguing our police forces nationwide. TAKE ACTION!"

As far as the leader of the Cowboys goes, owner Jerry Jones has spoken out against any demonstration during the national anthem in years past, saying in 2018 that the team's policy was to "stand at the anthem, toe on the line."

Per the Dallas Morning News, Jones was also noticeably quiet in the months following the killing of Floyd.

However, Jones has sung a different tune in recent days as he expressed his desire to see his team play a part in making positive changes, as he noted in comments made on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas:

"I really want to say how our hearts as an organization, individuals in the organization, how our hearts go out to the individuals and the family members who have been affected by these times, these disheartening times that we've all seen on television.

"And I want our team to be a part of change. The dramatic change isn't going to happen overnight, but I want our organization and our players to play a part in the movement of making this a better place in this country. I feel confident that our players have a can-do and what-can-I-do participation in it. I want what the Cowboys to help make this a better place."

The Cowboys will open their season at the Los Angeles Rams for the first Sunday Night Football game of the year on Sept. 13. Kickoff at SoFi Stadium is 8:20 p.m. ET.