According to Forbes.com, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a net worth of $5 billion. Prior to purchasing the Cowboys in 1989, Jones made his fortune in the oil industry. And in being a self-made billionaire, Jones loves to win while also refusing to take no for an answer. Jones was one of the National Football League team owners that wanted league commissioner Roger Goodell to sternly reprimand New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady which resulted in a four-game suspension for the upcoming season, while he also led the charge as far as the Rams returning to Los Angeles.
In Jones’ first seven years as the owner of the Cowboys, he had immense success. The Cowboys became the team of the 1990’s as they won three Super Bowl Championships in four years and people once again referred to them as “America’s Team”. But the last 19 years have not been as kind to the Cowboys as they’ve only managed two playoff victories without another Super Bowl appearance. Since winning the Super Bowl at the end of the 1995 National Football League season, the Cowboys have been a mediocre team. And as Jones has had a front row seat for the Cowboys mediocrity, he has taken risks on some players in the effort to get another championship which is still eluding him.
Over the years Jones has taken chances on players such as wide receiver Terrell Owens, cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones, and defensive tackle Tank Johnson as these players had either worn out their welcome with other teams, or had off-the-field issues. The most controversial move by Jones came last year when he signed defensive end Greg Hardy who has a checkered past which includes domestic violence towards women. Jones has done this because he is desperate to win and he keeps attempting the same formula which still isn’t working.
Randy Gregory
As the Cowboys are preparing for the 2016 National Football League season, there are several defensive players that are staring at suspensions for the upcoming season. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will miss the first four games as he failed a drug test. Defensive end Randy Gregory is entering his second year in the NFL, but he’s already failed two drug tests and there is a strong possibility that he could miss the first 10 games of this season. And like Gregory, inside linebacker Rolando McClain is expected to miss the first 10 games of the upcoming campaign as he has failed his second drug test as well. But if this isn’t enough, linebacker Damien Wilson recently injured his eye during a paintball excursion, while in a non-related incident, four people were killed after their vehicle collided with a bus that was carrying members of the Cowboys staff. The Cowboys issues have reached the level that the organization could be subject to punishment by the NFL which includes a fine, and/or the loss of draft picks. But in no way shape or form should anyone feel sorry for Jones as he and his ego which is the size of AT&T Stadium have to take some of the blame for the team’s issues.
When the Cowboys were in the midst of winning Super Bowls during the 1990’s, Jones ran off Jimmy Johnson as the team’s head coach and he has never recovered. With the exception of Bill Parcells from 2004-2007, each coach that Jones has hired since Johnson left in 1994 has been a “yes man” as Jones could easily control and enforce his power as the team owner over them. This is magnified by the situation with the Cowboys current head coach in Jason Garrett who stands on the sidelines waiting for puppeteer Jones to pull the strings.
Aside from being the Cowboys owner, Jones is also the team’s president and general manager as he has the final say in all personnel decisions. Jones has drafted players with individual talent, but he hasn’t been able to put together a collective unit that would be able to produce a championship in two decades.
After defensive end DeMarcus Ware refused to take a pay cut in 2014, Jones released him. Ware landed on his feet with the Denver Broncos and he was able to win a Super Bowl Title this past January. The players that were supposed to replace Ware’s production on the Cowboys roster were Lawrence and Gregory, but neither has done it on the field or in the locker room where Ware was a leader. This time last year saw the Cowboys attempting to recover from the loss of running back DeMarco Murray who was allowed to leave in free agency after he led the National Football League in rushing in 2014 with 1,845 yards. The Cowboys were ninth in the NFL last season in rushing, but they lacked a home run hitter at running back all season long. This forced Jones and the Cowboys to select running back Ezekiel Elliot fourth overall this past April. But already Elliot has been accused of assaulting a woman in Columbus, Ohio.
And as the Cowboys could be hit with a $250k fine by the National Football League because of the issues of some of their players, don’t expect many people to feel sorry Jones as he led the charge to suspend Brady for four games over something that most people don’t care about.
Whereas people tend to make more mistakes when they are desperate, Jones is no different as he has taken chances on players with character issues that doesn’t out trump their talent. And at some point Jones must realize that this strategy isn’t working as he isn’t getting any closer to claiming another Super Bowl Championship with a locker room that needs more leaders and less headaches.
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