Longtime owner Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys find themselves in the news for all the wrong reasons during an NFL offseason that’s been defined by scandal.
It was just recently that Dallas paid $2.4 million to four former cheerleaders stemming from wrongdoing on the part of former executive Rich Dalrymple. Said allegations conclude that Dalrymple committed voyeurism as they undressed in their locker room at AT&T Stadium in 2015.
Immediately after that settlement, more allegations were levied against the Cowboys. That includes Jerry Jones individually.
“This Jerry Jones brought buddies to sip cocktails and leer at cheerleaders during their workouts. This Jerry Jones handpicked at least one cheerleader to accompany him on a trip in his private jet, where she was expected to wear the group’s famous, skimpy uniform and parade around for the boss’s guests.”
Excerpt from America’s Girls podcast on how Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones treated cheerleaders, via Texas Monthly (H/T Pro Football Talk)
All of this comes after the NFL indicated that it will not investigate the Dallas Cowboys over the voyeurism allegations. That will likely change with new information linking Jones in an indirect manner to the scandal.
Related: NFL scandals and the Washington Commanders situation
Dallas Cowboys sidestep allegations against Jerry Jones
“I feel like we have a solid culture. You can always be better. You strive to get better every day in every area. That would be my comment,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said on Monday.
The younger Jones went on to indicate that his father, Jerry, has already “addressed” the situation and he doesn’t have anything to add.
The expectation is that Jerry Jones will meet with the media during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis later this week like he has done every year in recent memory. He already covered the settlement in the initial voyeurism case in comments last week.
“First of all, the cheerleaders are iconic. A vital part of what our organization is, the Dallas Cowboys. We took these allegations very seriously. We immediately began to look-see, an investigation into the situation. I can assure you that had we found that it need be, there would have been firings or there would have been suspensions. As it turns out, in the best interest of our fans, what we decided to do was show the cheerleaders how seriously we took these allegations, and we wanted them to know that we were real serious and so the settlement was the way to go.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth
These allegations are obviously different in nature. With that said, it’s not necessarily surprising that more information came out involving the Cowboys’ current brass after they settled with the four aforementioned cheerleaders.
It’s similar to the situation we’re seeing play out with Daniel Snyder and the Washington Commanders. That is to say, initial allegations of workplace misconduct extending to allegations directly against Mr. Snyder himself.
It’s going to be interesting to see what comes of this moving forward and whether the NFL opens up its own investigation. Led by Commissioner Roger Goodell, the league is all about optics. It plays the PR game. That could lead to Jerry Jones and his Dallas Cowboys being the subject of a widespread investigation from the powers that be in New York City.
For now, the Cowboys appear to be playing everything close to the vest. Whether that changes with Jones speaking to the media later this week remains to be seen.