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Rainer Sabin / Reporter
Over the years, Jerry Jones is known for rewarding his star players with big contracts. He'll try to befriend them, too. But Jones is a businessman first and foremost.
And he's not above playing hardball as evidenced by a recent episode that occurred during the negotiations between the NFL Players Association and the league. In a story by Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter, a group of unidentified players describes a scene in which Jones ratcheted up the tension at the negotiating table and, in turn, may have pushed the two sides further apart instead of closer together:
By doing so, he also may have damaged his image in the eyes of the men who deposit his checks. Here's the excerpt from the article that details Jones' contribution to the talks:
Twenty-four years ago, another Cowboys executive angered players when they went on strike in September 1987. Tex Schramm, the Cowboys' president, was a member of the NFL's Management Council and took a hard-line stance against the Cowboys' veterans. He was derisively called the "commissioner of replacement football," and after the strike had ended many speculated that other teams would seek retribution against the Cowboys because of Schramm's role in the strike. Years later, after Jones made a not-too-subtle threat, one wonders whether he will draw as much ire as Schramm once did? And if he does, will his reputation as a players' owner fizzle?
At this point, with the conflict continuing, it's hard to say.
Over the years, Jerry Jones is known for rewarding his star players with big contracts. He'll try to befriend them, too. But Jones is a businessman first and foremost.
And he's not above playing hardball as evidenced by a recent episode that occurred during the negotiations between the NFL Players Association and the league. In a story by Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter, a group of unidentified players describes a scene in which Jones ratcheted up the tension at the negotiating table and, in turn, may have pushed the two sides further apart instead of closer together:
By doing so, he also may have damaged his image in the eyes of the men who deposit his checks. Here's the excerpt from the article that details Jones' contribution to the talks:
- Jerry Jones, never one to pass up center stage, tried to lighten the mood by talking of his upbringing and the business acumen that led to his purchase of the Cowboys 22 years ago. The tenor changed when he began discussing how two years of negotiations had failed to bring the sides closer. What he said next, with arched eyebrows, helped steer the situation past the point of no return.
"I don't think we've got your attention," Jones said to the players, several of whom recounted the incident to SI. "You clearly don't understand what we're saying, and we're not hearing what you're saying. So I guess we're going to have to show you to get your attention."
Jones tapped his fists together for emphasis--the players interpreted it as a sign that a lockout was coming--then stood and walked toward the door. As he reached the end of the table, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, another labor hawk, began to rise, but Robert Kraft of the Patriots, who was sitting next to him, put a hand on Richardson's forearm and kept him from going.
If Jones's intention was to intimidate the players, he failed. "I think everybody in the room thought it was overly dramatic, almost hilarious," one player said. "It was like a Jerry Maguire moment. You know, 'I'm leaving. Who's coming with me?' I know it didn't scare any of us."
Twenty-four years ago, another Cowboys executive angered players when they went on strike in September 1987. Tex Schramm, the Cowboys' president, was a member of the NFL's Management Council and took a hard-line stance against the Cowboys' veterans. He was derisively called the "commissioner of replacement football," and after the strike had ended many speculated that other teams would seek retribution against the Cowboys because of Schramm's role in the strike. Years later, after Jones made a not-too-subtle threat, one wonders whether he will draw as much ire as Schramm once did? And if he does, will his reputation as a players' owner fizzle?
At this point, with the conflict continuing, it's hard to say.
