The NFL has come under fire over the past two weeks after the league’s domestic violence issue was rehashed.
Following the arrest of former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster on domestic violence charges and the video depticting then-Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt kicking a women, it’s become yet another contentious issue around the league.
Deciding that it made sense to speak up on the issue, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pretty much put his foot in his mouth.
“Yes, we’re keeping a very close eye (on the NFL’s handling of the DV issue), and have a keen interest in how that’s playing out. But we’re no different than the other 31 teams in this respect. But we’re very interested,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “It’s a challenging area of what we’re about. Everyone has no tolerance for domestic abuse. Zero tolerance for domestic abuse. Consequently we have to deal with the fact that we’re so physical and it’s such an important story.”
Jones was specifically answering a question about how the league is going to handle punishment that will be handed down to Hunt here over the short term.
“Everyone has no tolerance for domestic violence. Zero tolerance for domestic abuse.” Given Dallas signed defensive end Greg Hardy 2015 following an initial conviction on domestic violence charges, this statement is about as ridiculous as it comes.
Hardy’s story is by now well known. He was originally convicted on assault charges back in 2014. On appeal, he was granted a new trial. The alleged victim then refused to show up in court, a clear indication that something monetary happened behind the scenes.
Jones’ stance that the Cowboys employ a zero tolerance policy is yet another example of the NFL’s powers to be failing to understand the larger picture. They want the optics to favor them. But through actions and words, that just hasn’t been the case.
Jones now joins a fellow NFC East executive by completely missing the point. And it’s certainly a continued dark cloud for the league.