Jerry Jones has drawn criticism after deciding to pass the Cowboys’ $500,000 fine on to the players responsible.
The NFL handed the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints financial penalties after a series of brawls in a joint practice session in Oxnard, California. Jones then went a step further, saying he would fund the fine from the players involved.
Shannon Sharpe is not impressed with that approach.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesSharpe hits out at Jerry Jones’ decisionSpeaking on Nightcap, Sharpe said:
‘Jerry Jones said the Cowboys will internally fine players they deem responsible for the $500,000 organizational fine handed down by the NFL. That’s not what the NFL intended that to do when they fined a team; then you try to go back there like, “Well, you started it, you started it!”‘
The practice was marred by several separate altercations. Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner body slammed safety Jalen Thompson, and center Erik McCoy threw a helmet. Cowboys defender Donovan Ezeiruaku punched McCoy and was ejected for the second time this camp.
The NFL’s competition committee had previously sent memos to all 32 franchises warning about joint-practice fights and the risk of severe injury. The fines were aimed at holding franchise leadership accountable for player safety.
Jones addressed the punishment at a press conference in Oxnard, where he explained why joint practices can get heated.
‘This game is physical and it’s easy to get involved with aggressive temperaments,’ Jones said.
‘And taking of helmets off and swinging and hitting and that type of thing is not good for anybody and it’s certainly not what we want to represent to our fans as a league or as a team. So it’s understandable how they’re coming down with a real severe fines.’
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for NetflixNot everyone disagrees with the owner. On Nightcap, Chad Johnson backed player discipline, arguing that hitting pockets keeps players in line.
However, fellow guest Iso Joe Johnson, an outspoken Cowboys fan, made the opposite case. A $500,000 fine is pocket change to a billionaire owner, he argued, so deducting player paychecks protects ownership from responsibility.
The Cowboys now travel to Glendale for their second pre-season match-up against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, August 22.
Jones will be hoping the fallout does not cost them valuable preparation. Whether his players share that reading of the fine book remains to be seen.
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