A video showing Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones making a racially charged joke has surfaced. The video obtained by The Blast was taken in 2013 near the bar at the Warwick Melrose Hotel in Dallas, Texas, when a fan asked Jones for a congratulatory message for his fiance.
“Jennifer, congratulations on the wedding,” Jones said while looking into the camera. “Now, you know he’s with a black girl tonight, don’t you?”
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Jones then laughs and walks away. The Blast reports that the fan taking the video was white.
The fan who took the video reportedly shared it with a group of friends recently given Jones’ stance on players protesting inequality and police brutality during the national anthem before NFL games. The 75-year-old told ESPN that the Cowboys’ policy that prohibits players from disrespecting the American flag had been around since last year, when the protests began, and states that if a player disrespects the flag, that player will not participate in that day’s game. He added that not standing at attention during the anthem is what he considers unacceptable.
“We cannot in the NFL, in any way, give the implication that we are in any way disrespecting the flag,” Jones said previously.
Jones was criticized by many, including rapper Common, for his stance and comments.
“It’s an owner mentality,” Common told TMZ, “like a slave owner mentality, to be honest. Like, ‘You gonna do what I say on this.’”
“Other people choosing to put their hands over their heart. What makes that gesture better than somebody else who might be praying during the national anthem?” he continued. “Or if somebody says, ‘I’m kneeling for what I believe in,’ … then they should be able to do that because that’s what this country is about.”
Jones had also said that players “need consequences” to stand up to peer pressure. He added that the policy applies to all players and that he has “always had our players’ backs on issues I’ve been criticized for.”
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