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Jerry Jones: Cowboys players who kneel during anthem won’t play

FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 file photo, the Dallas Cowboys, led by owner Jerry Jones, center, take a knee prior to the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, in Glendale, Ariz. President Donald Trump's clash with the scores of professional football players who knelt during the Star Spangled Banner last weekend has set off a heated debate over proper etiquette during the national anthem. But throughout the world, flags, anthems and other national symbols can often divide as much as they unify, especially in countries with large religious or ethnic divisions. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Arlington, Texas • Dallas owner Jerry Jones says the NFL can’t leave the impression that it tolerates players disrespecting the flag and that any of his Cowboys making such displays won’t play.

Jones had his strongest comments so far on the anthem controversy Sunday night. They started with his response to a question about Vice President Mike Pence leaving the game in Indianapolis after about a dozen San Francisco players knelt during the anthem.

Jones said after the Cowboys’ 35-31 loss to Green Bay that the league can’t “in any way give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag.”

Of his own players, the Hall of Famer said, “If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play. Period.”

The Cowboys knelt arm-in-arm before the national anthem when they played at Arizona two weeks ago. Players, coaches and others, including Jones and his family, were among those in the line. All of them stood during the anthem, with arms still locked.