On Friday afternoon, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones apologized for a brief clip that was making the rounds which showed him making a racially charged joke while he appeared to be shit-faced. The footage was obtained by a media outlet called The Blast, though (honestly) it was pretty light on background or context.
According to them, Jones was at a Dallas hotel in 2013 when a Cowboys fan, who it should probably be noted is white, approached him and asked if he could offer a congrats to his new fiancée. At that point Jones looks into the camera and says "Jennifer, congratulations on the wedding. Now, you know he’s with a black girl tonight, don’t you?" The camera then cuts away to a black dude who Jerry appears to playfully shove before walking away with his coat over his shoulder.
The Blast adds that:
On Friday evening, through the Cowboys, Jones expressed his regret at his remarks in the footage. "That comment was inappropriate," he said. "It's not who I am, and I'm sorry."
As noted by the Dallas News, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders (who won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys back in the '95/'96 season) quickly came to Jones's defense. "I refuse to allow a moment to turn into a monument regarding a man I have known for 20 years, not just as an owner, but as a friend," Prime Time said in an email. "I won't cast judgment, on one moment when a joke went south, to capture who this man represents in a lifetime commitment of love and compassion to all ethnicities.
"A joke that was intended to add humor at the request of a fan in a lighthearted moment was taken totally out of intent. I'm sorry we're in this state of mind as a country, but if you're looking for a racist, Jerry Jones is not that guy."
This was not a particularly great Friday for the Cowboys' head honcho as, earlier in the day, a long-form story in ESPN the Magazine was published that seemed to detail a potential civil war brewing amongst the league's leadership. Jones has threatened legal action against the NFL if a contract extension for Roger Goodell is finalized. This animosity towards the commissioner reportedly stems from Goodell's handling of Ezekiel Elliott's on-and-off (now on) 6-game suspension:
Phew, lot of info there. Anyways, tons of drama in Big D. As always, really.
Related Stories
Dallas Cowboys and Owner Jerry Jones Kneel Prior to the National Anthem Playing
Owner Jerry Jones previously donated $1 million to President Trump's inauguration committee.
Jerry Jones Claims He Was Misrepresented in Compromising Photos
The 71-year-old Cowboys owner wanted to clarify that he was somehow "misrepresented" in those pictures.
Cowboys' Owner Jerry Jones Gets Crushed on Social Media for Defending Ezekiel Elliott
Dallas Cowboys' owner denied his team had any character issues, then Twitter users turned his mentions to shreds.
