For years, I've heard that the Dallas Cowboys are America's team, and for years I've brushed it under the rug. Yeah, yeah, yeah whatever. But today I have to embrace that title because of last Monday night, you proved it to be true in every sense of the word. Thank you for respecting our country.

I've been an NFL fan, practically all my life. And though many people are devout college supporters, my love of football started with the NFL. Football is one of the few places you can go and just think about the game and complain about the play call instead of complaining about politics. Well, that was the case until Sunday.

My heart was stiff as I watched players that I have great respect for willingly and boldly disrespect our great country, the country that gives them the opportunity to be paid millions upon millions of dollars to play a game that they love. One by one, they kneeled or didn't even come out onto the field as our national anthem echoed through the million dollar stadiums.

I understand that as an American, you have the right to peaceful protest, and you have the right speak freely.

But it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, "There is a time and place for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

And yes, there is a time to take a stand, or I guess actually take a knee, and a time to protest. But that time is absolutely not during the national anthem.

When the national anthem plays, you stand; you put your right hand over your heart, and you direct your attention to the flag because you are acknowledging that the reason you are even allowed to be standing freely at a sporting event is that you live in America. You stand because there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers that stood in your place in the lines of enemy fire that were threatening to take your freedoms and your homes.

What if they had decided to kneel? You stand for the families that couldn't bear to stand when they got the news that their husbands, sons, fathers, and mothers would never be coming home. You stand because there are soldiers everywhere that would give anything to stand but have lost their ability to stand to protect you. It's not about the president; it's about this country. The national anthem is not Donald Trump's song. It is America's song, our anthem.

So as an NFL fan, I would like to personally thank you for separating your protest from the national anthem. You took a stand for what you believe in, and that is one of the many beautiful things about this country. On a national stage, you stood unified for what you believe, and you have every right to that.

We got the point, and we respect your beliefs because you respected our country. There is a time and place for everything, and we thank you for being able to recognize that. You truly are America's team, and I hope that God blesses you for your willingness to stand. Good luck this season!

Sincerely,

An NFL Fan