Getty Images

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins made clear his problems with the NFL’s now-shelved national anthem policy, and now he’s expressed his feelings about the guy who wants to make obedience a condition of employment.

According to Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com, Jenkins said he’s always felt supported by Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, and clearly doesn’t feel players are as respected in Dallas.

“Jeffrey’s been very supportive of us from the beginning,” Jenkins said. “I don’t see Jeffrey as a bully like Jerry Jones is. Lucky for me, I don’t play for the Cowboys, nor would I want to.

“It’s unfortunate that you have owners like him that use his position to intimidate and intentionally thwart even the idea of his players thinking individually or having a voice about issue that effect their communities daily. It’s unfortunate.”

Jones has made it clear he expects all Cowboys players to stand, even though the league has hit pause on any anthem policy while they actually consult with players on coming up with a new one. But Jenkins said the old policy was flawed from the beginning, since it was intended to pacify President Donald Trump.

“They’re afraid of our president I think they’re afraid of half of our fan base so they try to appease both sides and they end up not satisfying anybody,” Jenkins said. “They know more than anybody that it’s not about the flag, it’s not about the anthem. They’ve been right along with us. They met with police along with us, we invited them to our events, they’ve seen our meetings with community activists. They know it has nothing to do with the military. The fact that they continue that rhetoric further divides this league and further divide players and owners and even our country. It continues to push that narrative that’s frankly not true.”

Again, Jenkins’ words underscore the quagmire the league has gotten itself into, and how difficult it will be to create a solution that pleases more than one very partisan base on either end of the political spectrum.