LaDainian Tomlinson tells TMZ Sports he has no problems with Dak Prescott's national anthem opinions -- ONLY IF they're actually his.
Remember ... the Cowboys star backed Jerry Jones just days after the team owner insinuated he'd cut players for kneeling during the anthem.
When we got L.T. out at LAX ... he told us the criticism Dak received for that stance was BS ... but only if that's what the star QB truly believed.
"Dak has to be his own man," the NFL legend says. "Hopefully he's not influenced by ownership or anybody else. He has to be his own man."
Bottom line ... L.T. says players are gonna get flak for their opinions on protests regardless -- so Dak shouldn't even have to think about being a pawn for Jerry.
"You really gotta stand up for what you believe in at the end of the day," L.T. says.