Cowboys collectively take knee before anthem, Cardinals lock arms during

Sep 25, 2017, 5:32 PM | Updated: 9:49 pm

ArizonaSports.com lead editor

BREAKING: Jerry Jones and the Cowboys take a knee in humiliating rebuke to racist would-be divider @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/vVR0UlAekk

— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) September 26, 2017

The Dallas Cowboys took a knee before the national anthem to show unity days after president Donald Trump’s comments about “firing” NFL players who kneel during the Star Spangled Banner.

“The objectives as much as anything else was to somehow, some way demonstrate unity and demonstrate equality,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, “and do so without any way involving the American flag and the national anthem. It took a lot of conversation to figure out how to do that. The conversation started literally Saturday, immediately after practice, and it went up to probably 15, 20 minutes before the ballgame.”

The entire team, with owner Jerry Jones in the middle of the line, stood in the middle of the University of Phoenix Stadium grass before a large American flag was unveiled prior to their Monday Night Football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. There were audible boos from the crowd.

Good stuff from Garrett on #cowboys kneeling before anthem pic.twitter.com/EbynXGwNJ4

— John Marshall (@jmarshallap) September 26, 2017

They then stood to the side for the anthem.

The Cardinals and Cowboys locked arms in respective rows as Jordin Sparks sang the Star Spangled Banner. Arizona president Michael Bidwill and his sister, Nicole, also locked armed along with the Cardinals players.

Bruce Arians when asked about the linked arms said it's over. "I coach football. I'm not a damn politician."

— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) September 26, 2017

“It was the players’ decision,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said after the game. “We had that long meeting about it and it was their decision.”

Trump’s criticism of players who protest during the national anthem incited a mass increase in such activism Sunday, with more than 100 NFL players sitting or kneeling, others raising their fists and whole teams standing with locked arms to display unity.

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the team linking arms during the anthem: pic.twitter.com/UyinaQJqVF

— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) September 26, 2017