Jones: Cowboys can’t stay in locker room for anthem

Saddened Vikings start camp with Sparano dearly missed

The football field was Tony Sparano’s element, just like the coaching peers he left behind. Walking in the freshly cut, bright green grass on Wednesday while directing the Minnesota Vikings through their first practice of training camp was, naturally, the best place for Mike Zimmer to be. “It takes a little bit of the sting away,” Zimmer said, pausing to recover from a crack in his voice, “of losing a great friend, a great coach, a good man.” The Vikings and the rest of the NFL were stunned on Sunday when Sparano, their tough-loving offensive line coach from West Haven, died suddenly at age 56 of heart disease. “It’ll be a hard few days, but we’ll get through it and we’ll get back to work and do the things that we do,” Zimmer said, “and that’s what he’d want us to do.” After two days of workouts for rookies and others selected for early duty either due to relative inexperience or a recent injury, the Vikings will take a break Friday to attend Sparano’s funeral in the Twin Cities area. Then the entire team will convene for the first full practice on Saturday. “The most important thing is when you’re a family, the family is what helps you get through it,” said general manager Rick Spielman, who like Zimmer had to stop for composure several times during an interview session with reporters. As evidenced by and during the run last season to the NFC championship game, the Vikings from the top down have forged an environment as tightly knit as any point in their history. This is an organization that has seen plenty of dysfunction over 57 years. The solidarity comes in handy at a tragic time like the unexpected loss of life, but it can also intensify the grief. “We had quite a relationship,” said Zimmer, who was on the same staff as Sparano for the last four of his 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. “His wife, Jeanette, I told her the other day, she reminds me a lot of my wife. She’s the sweetest lady.” Zimmer’s wife, Vikki, passed away in 2009. His father, Bill, died in 2015. So he’s had unfortunate experience in straddling the fine line between proper mourning and pressing on. “He was a lot like me, probably the only person in the building who was grumpier than I was,” Zimmer said. “But he really cared about his players. I’ve sat in with him in offensive line rooms a lot, and he had a way of poking the stick at the guys and then putting his arms around him.” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doubled down Wednesday on insisting that his players stand for the national anthem, declaring that he wouldn’t support anyone who chose to stay in the locker room. Speaking at his annual news conference to open training camp in California, the outspoken billionaire became the first owner to say publicly that his players would not be allowed to stay off the field during the anthem. “No,” Jones said when asked if he would support players staying in the locker room. “Our policy is that you stand at the anthem, toe on the line.” Last week, the NFL and the players’ union agreed to suspend the rule approved by owners this spring that gave players the option of staying in the locker room while allowing teams to discipline players who took a knee or sat during the anthem. The decision to begin negotiating on the issue came hours after The Associated Press reported that Miami Dolphins players who protested during the anthem could be suspended for up to four games under team policy. Last season, Jones was the first owner to declare that he would bench a player for protesting during the anthem. Two of his players — defensive linemen David Irving and Damontre Moore — raised their fists briefly as “The Star Spangled Banner” ended but weren’t disciplined. “I obviously wouldn’t dare speak for Patriots coach Bill Belichick says the team has “moved on” following the announcement of Julian Edelman’s fourgame suspension this upcoming season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances. Belichick expressed disappointment Wednesday, adding his focus now is to do the best with the players he has. Edelman can practice this preseason and Belichick said he has had a good attitude since arriving early for training camp, which begins today. The 32-year-old receiver missed the entire 2017 season with a torn right anterior cruciate ligament. He will be eligible to return to the Patriots’ active roster on Oct. 1, enabling him to make his 2018 debut Oct. 4 against Indianapolis.