Dallas Cowboys Owner: Stand for Anthem or Sit on the Bench; Las Vegas Massacre
VAUSE: Well, Donald Trump is doing his part to continue the controversy over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.</s>SESAY: Late Monday, he tweeted this. "A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will bench players who disrespects our flag. Stand for anthem or sit for game."</s>VAUSE: Joining me now from Atlanta, former NFL defensive back, Tyrone Poole. Tyrone -- thanks for coming in. I know it's late there in Atlanta so we appreciate it.</s>TYRON POOLE, FORMER NFL DEFENSIVE BACK: Thanks.</s>VAUSE: There is all the (inaudible) for Jerry Jones from ESPN Chris Mortensen who spoke to the owner of the Cowboys a few hours ago. He tweeted this out, "Jones adamant the policy is in best interest of players, who need consequences to stand up to peer pressure." So how is this decision by Jones in the best interest of the players and can he do it? Does he have the authority to bench players in the first place?</s>POOLE: Well, again he is the owner but at the same time, players I believe have a right amongst themselves to display their displeasure or their likes about certain things. And I think you start to divide and really kind of go into excessive (ph) jeopardy when you start to take away individuals' rights to express themselves.</s>VAUSE: You know, the NFL isn't really talking about the stand taken by Jerry Jones. But the "Washington Post" has reported that prompted a response Monday by DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players' Association who said that he and the players have been assured last Tuesday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New York Giants co-owner John Mara that they would respect the constitutional rights of our members without retribution. Will the NFL have a confrontation with Jones over this? Or will they just let him sort of quietly do what he's doing?</s>POOLE: Well, I think it's not going to go away. I'll put it to you like that. It's not going to go away. This is an issue that stems way beyond NFL football. It actually revolves around life itself. Even if you want to go back into the 80s and I'm talking about demonstration for injustice and equality. There was a certain rap group back in the 80s and they were talking about issues that they were dealing with in their neighborhoods and they used music to actually let the world know what was going wrong. So I think here in the NFL guys have a platform to where they can show their displeasure to let the world know what is still happening and needs to be corrected. So I don't think it's going to go away. But I do think we need to form some type of alliance to where everyone understands what each other is feeling. And until we do that, then it's not going to go away quietly.</s>VAUSE: Do you get a sense that there's not a lot of listening to both sides here going on?</s>POOLE: Well, again, unless you spend time with a person, if I live on the east side and you live on the west side and it's easy for someone who is on the west side to say what their opinion is about the east side. But until you come and spend time with me, then I feel like you have an opportunity to understand my frustrations. As vice versa -- as I go and live on the west side, I gain opportunity to see how your frustrations call you to be who you are.</s>VAUSE: Yes. If you're not listening, if you're not talking then you don't know really what's going on. So a day after Vice President Mike Pence walked out of the 49ers-Colts game in Indianapolis, the Trump campaign sent out a fundraising e- mail, there it is, praising the action taken by Pence adding "Please make a contribution of at least $5 to show your support and our team will send you an 'I Stand for the Flag' sticker." If someone wasn't convinced that the walk-out by Pence was not a political stunt, does this e-mail sort of remove all doubt?</s>POOLE: Well, I think, again my opinion. I look at the word "premeditated". Premeditated -- basically you're doing something that you already know was going to happen. And players have been kneeling from the beginning of the season, all the way back to Colin Kaepernick. So you knew that this was going to happen. So me, personally, I think it was a publicity stunt to continue to draw attention to an issue that basically I think is secondary to a lot of other issues that are going on in this country and around the world. So for me, I say it was premeditated.</s>VAUSE: Yes. It -- you know, was a principal issue that possibly, you know, Mike Pence shouldn't have gone if he can get a guarantee that they would not stand and that will be done. But that's not clearly what happened. But Tyrone -- good to see you. Thank you so much.</s>POOLE: Yes. Thank you.</s>SESAY: All right. Switching gears now. And we're learning new details about the gunman behind last week's deadly massacre in Las Vegas -- 58 people were killed and more than 500 wounded. Authorities initially said a security guard interrupted the shooter as he opened fire on the crowd. But now, now they're saying this.</s>SHERIFF JOSEPH LOMBARDO, LAS VEGAS METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: He was injured prior to the mass volley of shooting. What we have learned is Mr. Campos was encountered by the suspect prior to his shooting to the outside world.</s>SESAY: Well, authorities can't point to a specific event in the gunman's life as a motive but they say he indeed carried out a purposeful plan to take lives. CNN's Kyung Lah tells us about a deposition that could give us some insight into this man.</s>KYUN LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Before the gunman unleashed his murderous assault on an innocent concert crowd, he called himself the biggest video poker player in the world, gambling up to a million dollars in a single night, overnight, sleeping during the day, prescribed valium for anxiousness. These are the killer's own words as he testified in 2013 in this lawsuit against the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas where he slipped in the walkway. He says he moved from Las Vegas casino to casino, at one point staying maybe upwards of three weeks out of a month. A high-roller, his hotel stays were comped 95 percent of the time, that's ranged from $100 to $1,350 each time I pushed the button. When he says on a given night he'll bet a million dollars, an attorney replied, that's a lot of money. "No, it's not". He called video poker a game of discipline, at times appearing condescending and sarcastic as he explains to his attorney why he stays sober while gambling. "At the stakes I play, you want to have all your wits about you." The gunman's home in Mesquite, Nevada suggests an upper middle class retired life. For easy access to a doctor, he paid a yearly retainer fee to Nevada internet Dr. Steven Winkler (ph). He says Winkler prescribed him valium. Why, it's for anxiousness. Rage, aggressiveness and irritability are among the possible side effects of taking valium, according to the manufacturer of the drug. The "Las Vegas Review Journal" reported that Dr. Winkler prescribed him valium in June of this year. CNN could not independently confirm that information. Despite all the claims about his high-rolling ways, he testified on the day he fell in the Cosmopolitan he wore his typical clothing saying "I always wear black Nike sweat pants that are nylon or polyester." On his feet, black flip-flops that he wore 98 percent of the time. "Life was better before the economic meltdown," he testified saying Vegas casinos comped less and less, meaning he visited Sin City less. "What happened to the economy in 2007", he said, "it tanked. Las Vegas went into the gutter with a lot of other things. They quit giving away freebies. It just wasn't coming out here as often." Kyung Lah, CNN -- Las Vegas.</s>VAUSE: Well, coming up here on NEWSROOM L.A. with Catalonia on the verge of declaring independence from Spain, the standoff with Madrid is reaching a tipping point.