The NFL continued to soil its own shield with a questionable decision to not allow the Dallas Cowboys to honor the Dallas Police Department with helmet decals.
Dallas had planned to feature a small decal on its helmets during the first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. However, after submitting the design, which features the words “arm in arm,” for league approval, the Cowboys got a disappointing response from the NFL.
The decal was denied approval. The Cowboys cannot feature it during preseason or regular-season games this year, per Brandon George of SportsDay.
“Everyone has to be uniform with the league and the other 31 teams,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said after practice Wednesday. “We respect their decision.”
Owner Jerry Jones has spearheaded a strong show of support since the start of training camp. He had the team enter the field before the first practice arm-in-arm with the Dallas mayor, the chief of the Dallas Police Department and family members of police who were recently slain (watch here).
Honoring the police department isn’t some passing gesture for the Cowboys, who are always trying to use their influence within their community to help folks in need.
That said, as ridiculous as the NFL’s decision to disallow the decals during games, it’s a verdict the Cowboys have been bracing for. Jones, who knows the ins and outs of league thinking better than pretty much anyone else besides those in the league office, gave an interesting perspective recently on the matter.
“There are so many wonderful, wonderful causes, the league has to be careful,” Jones said earlier in camp about the possibility of wearing the decal in games. “If you allow one, then what do you do about every team that has a great reason to have something on their helmets?
“There are tons of things out there that need to be recognized. Once you open that Pandora’s box, how do you ever stop?”
Despite this perspective, the NFL continues to prove that it doesn’t really care about promoting anything other than itself.
From its decision to fine guys like DeAngelo Williams for wearing pink to honor his late mother, who died of breast cancer, to decisions like this one with the Cowboys, the league proves time and time again that no cause is worth pursuing unless it makes money or protects the league from lawsuits.