FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The NFL announced on Tuesday that it has fined Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for making an obscene gesture toward fans at MetLife Stadium.
Jones said the gesture was “inadvertent” and intended for Cowboys fans, not for the New York Jets supporters. The incident occurred late in Dallas’ 37-22 victory on Sunday.
Speaking on his radio show Tuesday, Jones explained that he meant to flash a “thumbs up” to celebrate with Cowboys fans. He was caught on video smiling widely while pointing toward fans before briefly making the controversial gesture, which quickly went viral.
“That was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front — not Jets fans, Cowboys fans. The entire stadium was brimming with enthusiasm of Cowboys and certainly late in the game.”
Jones’ gesture came shortly after Dak Prescott’s fourth touchdown pass gave the Cowboys a 37-14 lead with 4:31 left in the game.
“(The gesture) was inadvertent on my part because that was right after we made our last touchdown, and we were all excited about it,” Jones added. “There wasn’t any antagonistic issue or anything like that. I just put up the wrong show on the hand. That was inadvertently done. I’m not kidding. If you want to call it accidental, you can call it accidental.”
Jones emphasized that the matter was quickly resolved after he reviewed the footage. “It got straightened out pretty quick. I had a chance to look at it. The intention was ‘thumbs up,’ and basically pointing at our fans because everybody was jumping up and down excited.”
The Cowboys organization said Jones is likely to appeal the fine and has until Friday to make that decision.
This is not the first time an NFL owner has been fined for such conduct. Late in the 2023 season, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 for throwing a drink at fans in Jacksonville. In 2009, the late Bud Adams was fined $250,000 after the Tennessee Titans owner made obscene gestures while celebrating a victory over Buffalo.
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*This story has been corrected to show that the fine for David Tepper was issued late in the 2023 season, not the 2024 season.*
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