Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addresses anthem stance
Will settle on a decision factoring flag sentimentality and social injustice frustration.
When Jerry Jones and his children built The Star in North Texas, they left no stone unturned.
Restaurants, office space, health care facilities and apartment complexes sprawl across the Frisco, Texas campus that calls itself the Cowboys’ world headquarters.
So, too, does an Omni Hotel adjacent to the Ford Center, the Cowboys’ indoor practice field.
The Cowboys have blocked off rooms at the hotel for players to form a training camp bubble-like environment, three people with knowledge of the setup confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday evening. Players were to begin checking in on Wednesday. ESPN was the first to report of the arrangement.
The team notified players as they arrived at training camp that Omni stays would be an option, one person with knowledge of the arrangements said. Players are not required to stay in the Omni, but the team will cover the cost for whichever players choose to avail themselves of the opportunity.
Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who signed with the Cowboys in March, confirmed he’ll stay at the hotel.
“I’m a father of five, four of which will be at my home,” McCoy said. “My family’s safety is my top priority and I appreciate the Cowboys for providing this opportunity to help us do our best in maintaining that priority of keeping them safe all while doing our job. The
Cowboys have provided us with a beyond safe work environment.”
Linebacker Justin March-Lillard said he anticipates checking into the Omni while also spending some time at home, where he’s set up a pseudo-quarantine from his wife, Paige, and their two sons. March-Lillard said he enters through one door to get to the room, locking himself in when he’s at home to cut off any exposure to the rest of the family. But staying at the hotel will foster team camaraderie.
“It will be great for us all mentally, making sure during these unfortunate
times we are as focused as we can be for the season,” March-Lillard told USA TODAY Sports. “It will be cool to be right next to where we will practice. Wake up and get right to work. Make it feel like real training camp.”
Since players began reporting for coronavirus testing July 21, just two have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Receiver Jon-Vea Johnson and cornerback Saivion Smith have each returned to the 80-man active roster since.
Typically, Cowboys players, coaches and staff members stay at River Ridge
Residence Inn in Oxnard, California, for training camp. The NFL required teams to host 2020 training camps at their home facilities to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19. Players needed to test negative for COVID-19 three times before reporting in person. Still, masks, distancing and contact-tracing bracelets guide six-feet-apart meetings and revamped training arrangements.
Head coach Mike McCarthy, in his first year with the Cowboys, said the Frisco facilities have worked well for training camp. “So fortunate to have the Ford Center,” McCarthy said in a Friday news conference. “The Ford Center is where we have our team meetings (with) sections at the 50-yard line and been able to spread the team and staff out there and created a stage-like atmosphere for the presentation of all our installs and team meetings and so forth. That part has gone very smoothly. It’s become part of our everyday regimen. Guys are doing a good job with it.”
Some in the organization have considered extending the Omni Frisco “bubble” through the season, a person with knowledge of the conversation told USA TODAY Sports.
Cowboys players, particularly on offense, began gathering for outdoor training sessions together before the return to camp. Quarterback Dak Prescott commissioned a football field built in his backyard during the offseason. Receivers, running backs and tight ends visited the field to hone chemistry and practice routes.