Cowboys Coach Jason Garrett Flagged for Spiking Challenge Flag

Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys lost their second straight game, this time falling to the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. This was a battle in which the Dallas defense could not stop running back Aaron Jones en route to four touchdowns. To make the game more frustrating for team owner Jerry Jones, his head coach, Jason Garrett, was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct while throwing a challenge flag.

Late in the third quarter, quarterback Dak Prescott launched a pass down the sidelines toward wide receiver Amari Cooper, who made the reception before going out of bounds. However, the referees called the pass incomplete, which sparked outrage in Garrett. He responded by screaming something at an official and spiking his challenge flag into the turf. In turn, he was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Ultimately, the play was reversed and the Cowboys were awarded the completed pass. However, Garrett’s outburst set them up in a first-and-25 instead of a first-and-10.

Why this mistake was viewed as critical is that it could have potentially resulted in Garrett being ejected from the game. Each individual on the field is given a warning after the first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. If there is a second, they will be ejected. Dallas could have potentially lost the head coach with time remaining in regulation.

After the game, referee Ron Torbert addressed the penalty, but he would not state what Garrett had yelled.

“All I can tell you is there was abusive language toward an official,” Torbert said, per the Dallas Morning News. “That’s all I’m prepared to tell you.”

While this decision by Garrett could have been met with considerable criticism from ownership, that certainly wasn’t the case. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was supportive of his head coach.

“I hope the little darling didn’t hear anything he hasn’t heard before,” Jones said about the official.

Throughout his career as a head coach in the NFL, Garrett has been viewed as a man without many emotions. The Cowboys fans and critics alike refer to him as “the clapper” due to him constantly clapping after every play, whether good or bad. There have been cries in the past of those hoping to see emotion from Garrett, and he met their needs on Sunday.

Will this change opinions about the ninth-year head coach? It’s possible, but the answer won’t be provided for some time. Either way, Garrett can rest assured that Cowboys ownership is in support of his outburst on Sunday.