Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the obscene gesture he made toward fans at MetLife Stadium in a viral video during his team’s 37-22 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday was inadvertent. However, Jones is still being disciplined by the NFL.
Jones will receive a $250,000 fine from the NFL for appearing to flash his middle finger at fans, ESPN reported Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Jones apologized for his gesture, saying that he was trying to give a “thumbs up” to celebrating Cowboys fans. In the video, Jones smiled widely as he pointed toward fans before making the gesture.
“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.
“[The gesture] was inadvertent on my half as a result of that was proper after we made our final landing, and we had been all enthusiastic about it,” Jones added. “There wasn’t any antagonistic situation or something like that. I simply put up the unsuitable present on the hand. That was inadvertently performed. I’m not kidding. If you wish to name it unintentional, you’ll be able to name it unintentional. Nevertheless it acquired straightened round fairly fast. I had an opportunity to take a look at it. It acquired straightened out fairly fast, however the intention was ‘thumbs up,’ and principally pointing at our followers as a result of everyone was leaping up and down excited.”
The incident involving Jones is not the primary time in latest reminiscence that an proprietor has been punished by the NFL for an interplay with followers. In 2023, Carolina Panthers proprietor David Tepper was fined for throwing a drink at Jacksonville Jaguars followers.
Jones’ punishment is in keeping with what former Tennessee Titans proprietor Bud Adams acquired for making an analogous gesture towards Buffalo Bills video games throughout a sport in 2009. Adams was fined $250,000 for gesturing his center finger at Payments followers.
Late within the 2024 season, the NFL fined Carolina Panthers proprietor David Tepper for throwing a drink at followers in Jacksonville.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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