It all started on Friday, Sept. 22, when President Donald Trump told a rally in Alabama, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired!"

Days later, that prompted a wave of protests and demonstrations by NFL teams during the national anthem. The Cowboys, who didn't play until Monday night, decided to take a knee before the national anthem and stand with arms locked during it. And right in the middle of it was owner and general manager Jerry Jones, who had previously come out against player demonstrations.

By Wednesday, Trump tweeted, "Spoke to Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys yesterday. Jerry is a winner who knows how to get things done. Players will stand for Country!"

On Friday, during his weekly appearance on CBS Radio's 105.3 The Fan, Jones acknowledged that he talked to Trump.

"He did call" the owner said. "He was complimentary, which doesn't mean that in any way we acquiesced to what he was implying. What we (Dallas Cowboys) wanted to do was make a statement and certainly not dishonor the flag. The debate is whether you're dishonoring it or not. And to stand up there and say a group such as the NFL and our players are doing anything that doesn't respect the flag is just not something that could be accepted."

Despite reports to the contrary, Jones says he didn't order players to stand for the anthem or be fired.

"I've asked the players for anything we might do," Jones said. "I ask! Ask … not tell.

"The most important thing for the NFL, the most important thing for everybody involved, is to leave the impression and the fact that you've not dishonored the flag. Perception is very real in what we do. Perception is a part of the game. It's a big part of the league. It's a part of each of the player's reputation, and you've got to keep all of those things in mind when you act."

And while Jones wanted to make it clear that the pregame demonstration wasn't disrespectful, he didn't offer any details on what the team would do before Sunday's game against the Rams. But according to wideout Dez Bryant, the Cowboys will stand.

"We're going to stand and put our hand over our heart, and we're going to do what we did before," Bryant said, via the Dallas Morning News' Brandon George. "Y'all know what that was, that was just a response to Trump. That's all that was."