Image via Complex Original
With all due respect to DJ Kay Slay, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the real "Drama King." Need proof? Go Google "jerry jones drama" and you'll see that there are more than 5.2 million results that pop up (by comparison, you'll only find 60,600 results when you Google "jim irsay drama" and Lord knows the Colts owner has created his fair share recently). Or better yet, just go and take a look at what's going on with the Cowboys organization on any given day. Regardless of whether the team is winning or losing—or even playing at all—there's a good chance that Jones has said or done something to cause controversy for his 'Boys. It's become abundantly clear that, for better or worse, it's the way he wants to run "America's Team."
Most recently, Jones played a role in Dallas cornerback Morris Claiborne making the decision to storm out of the Cowboys' training facility on Tuesday afternoon. During a radio interview that Jones did earlier in the day, he admitted that Claiborne has not been as good as he expected him to be when Dallas drafted him No. 6 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
"Is he what we had hoped for at this point when we drafted him with the sixth overall pick, giving up the [second-round] pick to go up to the sixth pick to get him?" Jones asked. "No."
And that statement—coupled with the demotion that Claiborne received on Tuesday—led to the cornerback temporarily leaving the Cowboys yesterday (he has since returned to the team). It also led to more dramatic headlines for the Cowboys over the course of the last 24 hours. But we get the feeling that Jones doesn't mind, because it appears as though he actually likes the idea of turning the Cowboys organization into one big soap opera. Just check out A Recent History of Jerry Jones Causing Controversy for the Cowboys to see what we mean.
Allegedly Getting Into a Screaming Match With Former Cowboy Jay Ratliff
Date: 12/11/2012
After a win against the Eagles, Jones reportedly approached Ratliff—who was dealing with a groin injury at the time—and spoke with him about when he'd be back on the field again. Ratliff didn't appreciate something Jones said to him, though, and responded by yelling at the Dallas owner. He then stormed out of the locker room without speaking to anyone else.
Trying to Convince Cowboys Head Coach Jason Garrett to Fire His Own Brother
Date: 1/12/2013
Jones wasn't impressed with the way that the Cowboys' offense performed during the 2012-13 NFL season. So he reportedly asked head coach Jason Garrett to give up his play-calling duties andasked Garrett to get rid of his brother John, who was the team's tight ends coach at the time.
Guaranteeing the Cowboys Would Win the Super Bowl Before the 2013-14 NFL Season
Date: 8/12/2013
In fairness to Jones, he was just answering a question that a TMZ cameraman asked him when he made his guarantee. But still, he had to know that it was going to make headlines, right? Right. And we're guessing that's why he did it. Oh, and for the record, it turned out to be a mistake because his Cowboys didn't even make the playoffs last season, let alone win the Super Bowl.
Calling Tony Romo "The Best in the Business in the Fourth Quarter"
Date: 10/20/2013
Was Jones just trolling us when he said that Romo is "the best" when it comes to leading fourth-quarter drives? He had to be. Romo hasn't come up clutch very often in his career. And while we wouldn't necessarily say he's "the worst in the business in the fourth quarter," he's definitely not the "best" as Jones suggested.
Admitting That He Didn't Think a Handful of His Cowboys Players Were Very Good
Date: 12/17/2013
The Cowboys weren't very good last season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Just ask Jerry Jones! He was more than ready to throw a bunch of his players under the bus towards the end of the season. "We've had a healthy [Tony] Romo," he said during a radio interview. "That ought to be able to help us get back some of this inadequacy with some of our personnel." Translation: "Hopefully Romo scores a lot of points next week because our defense stinks!"
Planning to Select Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft
Date: 5/8/2014
According to a book called Manziel Mania, Jones came this close to drafting Manziel with the No. 16 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That is, until his son Stephen stepped in and wouldn't allow it to happen. "Stephen Jones had snatched the Manziel card straight out of his dad's hand," author Jim Dent wrote. "Otherwise, Jerry would have drafted him and JFF would have sat for at least three years behind Tony Romo."
Talking to Adrian Peterson About the Idea of Him Playing for the Cowboys One Day
Date: 6/7/2014
NFL owners are not allowed to talk to players on opposing teams who are under contract about joining their teams one day. But that's exactly what Jones did—while he was sitting right next to an ESPN reporter, no less!—during a phone call that took place between Jones and Peterson over the summer.
Appearing in Scandalous Photos Alongside Two Strippers
Date: 8/5/2014
We don't know what was worse—that Jones appeared in the photos or that he tried to explain his appearance in the photos by saying that someone had manipulated a bunch of innocent pictures that he had taken with a couple of women at a restaurant five years ago. That was the best explanation that you could come up with, man?
Reportedly Allowing the NFL VP of Officiating to Hang Out on His Party Bus
Date: 8/7/2014
Jones himself was not on the bus this past summer when TMZcaptured a video of a man who appeared to be NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino hanging out with his son Stephen. But because it was his bus and because it was his son rubbing elbows with a top league official, it didn't sit well with a lot of people. And Jones didn't do much to make people feel any better by refusing to issue any sort of statement about the controversy.
Admitting That the Cowboys Want to Win With "Glitz and Glamour"
Date: 8/26/2014
While announcing a new partnership between the Cowboys and a high-end watch company, Jones referred to his team as the "glitz and glamour" of the league and said that he doesn't mind it at all. "We're the glitz and the glamour of the NFL," he said. "We want to kick [our opponents'] you-know-what with glitz and glamour." It's same same thing that he said back in 2008 when he took a shot at the Houston Texans organization.
Getting Angry at His Son for Not Allowing Him to Draft Johnny Manziel
Date: 8/28/2014
Even though Jones downplayed the reports about him being interested in Manziel, he told ESPN's Outside the Lines that he regretted not taking Johnny Football in the 2014 NFL Draft. "I'm still so damn mad at Stephen," he said. "I get madder, every day, about missing [Manziel]."
Refusing to Put Jimmy Johnson Into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor
Date: 8/28/2014
Even though Johnson was an integral part of the Cowboys' success back in the 1990s, Jones continues to refuse to acknowledge his importance to the organization. During an ESPN Outside the Lines interview, he went as far as to say that he doesn't have any plans to put Johnson into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor anytime soon. "The criteria that I'm interested in have more to do with the guys that were on the field making the plays," he said. Johnson responded by calling Jones a "rich asshole."
Criticizing the 10-Game Suspension That Josh Brent Received From the NFL This Season
Date: 9/5/2014
The Cowboys defensive lineman received a 10-game suspension for driving drunk and getting into an accident that killed his close friend and teammate Jerry Brown. And while some people thought that suspension was too light, Jones actually thought it was too harsh. "Certainly, 10 games was a lot more than I thought that it would be," he said.
Referring to a Sexual Assault Lawsuit That Was Filed Against Him as a "Money Grab"
Date: 9/9/2014
A little more than a month after scandalous photos of Jones and two strippers leaked out, the woman who took the photos filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Jones. His lawyer called the allegations "completely false" and "nothing more than an attempt to embarrass and extort Jerry Jones."
Taking a Shot at Morris Claiborne
Date: 9/23/2014
Most NFL owners wouldn't admit that one of their draft picks was, essentially, a bust—especially if that guy was still on his team. But that's what Jones did when he took a shot at Claiborne during a radio interview on Tuesday. What will he do next to get his team back into the headlines?