Michael Jordan’s ex-teammate accuses Jerry Jones of violating his own rules by honoring Charlie Kirk publicly at Dallas game

Michael Jordan’s ex-teammate, Etan Thomas, has accused the Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, of violating his own rules. Ahead of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, the Cowboys observed a moment of silence in honor of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing influencer who was fatally shot in Utah on Wednesday.

Jerry Jones has always maintained that politics has no place in sports. The Cowboys’ owner has spoken up against political expression in sports on multiple occasions. He famously emphasized in 2017 that players employed by his team would be expected to stand with their “toes on the line” for the national anthem.

He instituted a written policy requiring players to stand during the national anthem and said any who did not adhere to it would be benched. Later that year, Jones joined his players in taking a knee on the field in response to Donald Trump’s criticism of the protests in the NFL.

Since then, Jones has softened his stance on political expression by his team, but his decision to observe a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk appears to contradict those earlier rules, Etan Thomas wrote on X.

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“Oh so now Jerry Jones is OK with mixing sports and politics?” Thomas wrote.

Etan Thomas was in the NBA for nine years, spending the first few seasons of his career playing with Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards. He went on to play for the OKC Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks before retiring in 2011. Thomas played 409 games in the league, averaging 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 51.3%.

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Michael Jordan’s influence is shaping Brian Schottenheimer's approach with the Dallas Cowboys

Known for his intensity as a competitor, Michael Jordan brought his best regardless of whether it was an official game or practice.

Drawing from how Jordan approached the game, the Dallas Cowboys' new coach, Brian Schottenheimer, has changed his team's attitude toward training, calling them an "excellent practice team" during a conversation with Sports Illustrated in August.

"I remember Michael Jordan talking about practice all the time—If you practice the right way … and then Kobe [Bryant] adopted it,” Schottenheimer said. "We can’t simulate a real game out here like basketball can, because we can’t tackle and things like that, but you can push it, and you can get to the edge."

Schottenheimer's approach seems to be making a difference as Jerry Jones' team has split its first two games of the season. The Cowboys lost against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 before defeating the New York Giants on Sunday.

Edited by Sameer Khan