close
close

Yiamastaverna

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • Jerry Jones was wrong when he threatened the Cowboys radio announcers
    Washington

    Jerry Jones was wrong when he threatened the Cowboys radio announcers

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    play

    ATLANTA – Were you serious?

    Jerry Jones, the gregarious owner of the Dallas Cowboys, didn’t shy away from the recent controversy as we chatted for a few minutes before he left the NFL owners’ meeting Tuesday night. Jones caused a stir Tuesday morning with a heated exchange with the hosts of his twice-weekly radio shows on the Cowboys’ flagship station, 105.3 The Fan. The low point came when he appeared to threaten to replace the three presenters.

    Really?

    “I don’t know,” Jones said, standing in front of his waiting SUV. “I’ll tell you what: (Dale) Hansen and Brad (Sham) had to take a vacation when they went too far in one way or another.”

    Hansen and Sham, media legends in the Dallas market, formed the Cowboys’ popular radio team for many years, except for a hiatus in the 1990s that began when Jones became enraged by their criticism of his team.

    Now, as criticism of Jones and his team – based on performance – continues to mount, it’s quite difficult to avoid the tough questions.

    Jones knows better whether he admits it or not. When he made his typical Tuesday morning phone call two days after the Cowboys suffered another embarrassing loss on their own turf at AT&T Stadium, a 47-9 rout of the Detroit Lions, he was more in the line of fire than beleaguered coach Mike McCarthy , star quarterback Dak Prescott or one of the franchise’s other high-profile faces.

    Remember, the money belongs to the team owner in more ways than one.

    “But they’re my own people,” Jones said of hosts Shan Shariff, RJ Choppy and Bobby Belt. “This is like what Brad and Dale would do to us during a ball game.”

    The excitement, whether intentional or not, has certainly increased the attention of the radio station and crew – who can take a bow at being mentioned in the same way as Hansen and Sham. And hey, the Cowboys are making a splash in their bye week with this noise that Jones probably hopes will also divert some of the attention from his struggling team.

    Maybe this will pass and the hosts will remain intact, and the drama will spark intrigue for the next show. Finally, the last part was captivating radio.

    At one point, Jones shot back to Shariff: “What’s your damn meter?”

    The 28-minute segment began on a lighthearted note as Jones headed to the airport to travel to Atlanta. He described himself as “sick” over Sunday’s debacle – which, incidentally, occurred on his 82nd birthday and in which the Lions essentially played with the Cowboys by pulling off a whole series of tricks – and joked that it was the is the perfect time to retire and get out of the city.

    But after about 12 minutes, the flow and Jones’ reactions became more heated. For several minutes, Jones sounded defensive as the hosts sought answers about the Cowboys’ minimal offseason action, fan apathy and other related topics.

    “I don’t want to disparage or undermine their credibility, but we were kind of set on taking me to the woodshed,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “And I wasn’t ready for it. I wanted to talk about the exact things they wanted to talk about, but I didn’t want to have it in a tribunal.

    “They’re not,” Jones added of the hosts. “Now it’s the guys who are listening, my ticket holders and fans.”

    While this episode sheds light on the expectations that sports teams (and in other cases leagues and colleges) have for content distributed through media partners who invest with rights fees, it’s pretty baffling that Jones doesn’t acknowledge that radio hosts are, essentially, voices his fan base.

    Undoubtedly, he is the NFL’s most approachable owner, whose Hall of Fame fame owes much to his business acumen and league-wide influence, which includes his ability to market his wildly popular franchise better than anyone.

    But even for a man who has maintained that no publicity is bad publicity, he probably has more to lose than gain from an image perspective if he gets into a fight in an interview. Sure, if the Cowboys advance and become champions this season, their huge fan base would probably be forgiving. But what are the chances of this happening for the first time in decades?

    Although his mood was affected by the results on the field – and that frustration is no excuse – Jones lost points when he took on the hosts in person. Yes, make no mistake, he was demeaning. He called them “yay” and told them it wasn’t their “job” to ask certain questions.

    “I’m going to get someone else,” he said during the segment. “I’m not kidding.”

    I thought the questions were valid — especially considering the Cowboys haven’t advanced to an NFC title game in nearly 30 years — even if it made them uncomfortable. The hosts are mediators and ask questions that the fans would ask. Right, Jerry?

    “Not really,” he said. “They set the tone. I constantly have fans that I communicate with. They actually have more of a right than the people whose show I’m honestly paying to see.

    “You and I both know what I could be criticized for if I say that,” Jones added.

    What is being criticized for, trying to suppress freedom of expression?

    “We’ve never been like that,” he said. “Free as a breeze here.”

    That’s exactly why this episode is so bizarre. Jones has shown a thick skin since purchasing the franchise in 1989 and has been unfairly vilified as the man who fired the legendary Tom Landry. In crisis after crisis for Jones and his team, on the football field and off the field, you can’t say he hasn’t been willing to stand up (toes on the line), face the music and in other ways to explain.

    “I go with the flow when it comes to the media,” he said.

    It’s just that the typically affable Jones was out of character this time on his own show. Or maybe he allowed his ego to get the best of him. Or both. Reflecting on how things went, he mentioned the three consecutive 12-win seasons in each of the last three years and acknowledged the big playoff losses. Aware of the typical calls to relinquish his role as the team’s general manager, he defended his position – as he has done for 5, 10, 20, 25 years and more.

    In the Cowboys’ structure, Jerry’s son Stephen, the chief operating officer, and Will McClay, vice president of player personnel, are key influential voices for the GM.

    “I’ve seen a lot of general managers come and go,” Jones said, referring to the NFL landscape. “But in our situation, I am the best person who can ultimately make the decision. I’m the one who pays the bills.”

    This is precisely why it should come first and last when it comes to accountability.

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Madoc Meredith
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads