The controversy over Jerry Jones' threat that Dallas Cowboys who kneel during the national anthem will be benched is not dying down.

Frederick D. Haynes III — senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, a predominantly black megachurch — slammed the Cowboys owner on Monday, accusing him of reverting to "plantation politics" to silence black athletes who want to protest police brutality.

"Mr. Jones doesn't mind cheering for those black players while they're on the field, but he's not concerned about the hell their communities are catching off the field," Haynes said during a news conference at the Dallas police headquarters on South Lamar Street.

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Last month, Jones tried to steer the Cowboys away from the firestorm over athletes kneeling during the national anthem after President Donald Trump called on NFL team owners to fire the demonstrators. In Trump's view, the protests are disrespectful to the flag and "our heritage."

As football fans nationwide turned to the Cowboys in late September, Jones and his players took a knee before — but not during — the anthem as a gesture of solidarity with others in the NFL who were taking a stance against racial inequality.

However, Jones turned himself into a lightning rod when he announced Oct. 8 after a game with the Green Bay Packers that any player "disrespectful to the flag" won't be allowed to play.

The Cowboys haven't had a player protest during the anthem, though defensive linemen Damontre Moore and David Irving have raised fists at its conclusion.

Jones committed to his stance last week during his radio show on KRLD-FM (105.3 The Fan).

"If you do not honor and stand for the flag in the way that a lot of our fans feel that you should then you won't play," Jones said. "That's nothing new as far as that being my wish or want [for] the Cowboys."

The Cowboys' first game following Jones' remarks will be Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, whose former quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, launched the protests last season to draw attention to the killings of unarmed black people by police.

Haynes, the pastor, said he and other activists criticizing Jones on Monday decided on purpose to stand in front of a banner that read "We support our Dallas police officers" to avoid distractions about their real message.

"We have the back of our police department as long as they have our back," said Haynes, who wore a T-shirt printed with an image of Kaepernick kneeling.

Others who addressed reporters at the news conference included Dominique Alexander, leader of the activist group Next Generation Action Network, and Shirley Ison-Newsome, a former Dallas ISD administrator.

The activists' criticism of Jones echoed pointed comments made last week by Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, one of Dallas' most prominent black politicians.

Price told The Dallas Morning News that players are showing they notice the mistreatment of people of color in America.

"What the players are saying, in some uniform position, is that they can see," Price said. "And so, Jerry issues an order that says, 'Slaves, obey your master.'"

Staff videographer Tommy Noel contributed to this report.