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The most dangerous place to be is between Jerry Jones and a microphone. Especially since he’s now targeting local radio jocks. The billionaire Cowboys owner made himself look small by seemingly threatening radio hosts on the team’s flagship radio station in Dallas.
On Tuesday, after the Cowboys were embarrassed 47–9 by the Lions, Jones grew irate over questions about whether he did enough during the offseason to improve his 3–3 team.
“This is not your job. Your job isn’t to let me go over all the reasons that I did something and I’m sorry that I did it. That’s not your job. … I’ll get somebody else to ask these questions, men. … I’m not kidding,” he told hosts Shan Shariff and RJ Choppy during his weekly appearance.
Is Jones kidding? What were the hosts supposed to ask him about after the Lions humiliated America’s Team in front of their home fans on the owner’s 82nd birthday? Shariff hit the nail on the head when he tweeted that Jones, with his Texas-size ego, wants it both ways.
“I said the standard of the Dallas Cowboys has sadly been lowered. Jerry wants praise for 12-win regular seasons. He wants a parade for the branding, TV ratings, and attendance. He must not realize NO ONE CARES,” Shariff tweeted. “The standard for America’s team is supposed to be rings, period.”
Three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe also let Jones have it on ESPN’s First Take for making the hosts fear for their jobs. “I hate, I detest, I despise, someone that will prey on the weak. Because Jerry Jones is in an advantageous situation, because he has the power in this situation, he would actually say that publicly. That tells me a lot about a man. That tells me a lot about a man that has power—and who would abuse that power,” Sharpe said. “To tell that man, ‘I will get somebody in here to ask me favorable questions.’ That is absolutely that guy’s job. … See, Jerry wants all of the credit when things go well but none of the blame.”
The Fallout
Hours later, after the NFL owners meetings wrapped up, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini asked Jones about his comments.
“If I’m going to be grilled by the tribunal, I don’t need it to be by the guys I’m paying. I can take it from fans and take it from other people. I take a lot of pride in how fair and how much I try to work with the media, we’re brothers and sisters. But I was a little frustrated there today,” Jones said.
“The wrong ones were doing the questioning. Now, if those had been real fans sitting there or if there had been people that knew what they were talking about, football people, I might have had a different answer.”
Shariff tweeted a response and said more was yet to come during his Wednesday show:
“Is this real life???
I WISH Jerry Jones paid me.
He insults us again and we’ve had back and forth over WAY bigger things in our 14 years.
I truly don’t understand what the hell is going on.
Full thoughts tomorrow morning @1053thefan #ShanandRJ”
