Sherman: Jerry Jones has 'old plantation mentality'

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman didn't mince words when discussing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who recently declared that his team's players will be required to stand for the national anthem.

"Our policy is you stand during the anthem, toe on the line," Jones said.

The NFL reportedly has instructed Jones to refrain from talking about the national anthem as it negotiates a new policy with the NFL Players Association.

"The owner of the Dallas Cowboys, with the old plantation mentality. What did you expect?" the 30-year-old Sherman told USA Today.

In May, NFL owners voted on a new national anthem policy, removing a requirement for players to be on the field for the anthem, and giving the players the option to stay in the locker room.

Teams who did not adhere to the policy and "do not show proper respect for the flag and anthem" on the sidelines were subject to fines.

Now, it's back to the drawing board.

"They're having the conversations; that's awesome," said Sherman, who is a member of the NFLPA's executive committee.

"But there are unintended consequences. If they did this (original policy) to appease people, they didn't appease anyone. It's like putting a Band-Aid over a broken leg."

The anthem issue has been a divisive one, with some feeling that players who don't stand for the song are being disrespectful to, among others, the U.S. military. Others feel it is the players' right to protest perceived social injustice peacefully.

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the movement in 2016 to kneel during the national anthem as a protest to perceived police brutality against African-Americans, social injustice and racial inequality.

Kaepernick and former 49ers safety Eric Reid have both filed collusion cases against the league after failing to land jobs as free agents.

Sherman signed a three-year, $39 million free agent contract with the 49ers just two days after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks.

He helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl title following the 2013 season and led the club back to the championship game the following year.

Sherman was a fifth-round pick (No. 154 overall) out of Stanford in 2011. He has 32 interceptions and 99 passes defensed on his career.