Was Jimmy Johnson fired by jeri or did Jimmy want to leave and quit?

[Doomsday]

I have a strong opinion I believe to be based on historical evidence readily available to all

You keeping us in suspense?

 

[yimyammer]

You keeping us in suspense?

IMO, Jerry fired Jimmy ainec

We can equivocate all we want about how Jimmy was planning on leaving, Jimmy goaded jeri into firing him, Jimmy and jeri weren’t getting along, etc, etc, etc but the bottom line is jeri fired him and gave Jimmy 2 million to leave. The straw that broke Jeri’s back was the non-toast where jeri tried to toast a table of people jeri had fired (Bob Ackles, Brenda Bushnell, etc) that Jimmy was also at. Jeri being his typical tone deaf, self absorbed, insecure a-hole self got his panties in a bunch when they didn't smooch his ass and gave a tepid response to his drunken toast.

That was the final draw for jeri and he immediately starts talking to various people including reporters about firing Jimmy. He may have sobered up by the time he spoke to Jimmy face to face and offered some kind of bullshit untenable offer for Jimmy to remain coach, but that was bullshit because he had already called Switzer asking him if he wanted the job and to start considering it. Jeri wanted the satisfaction of firing Jimmy. Jeri was seething and wanted to wake Jimmy up in the middle of the night, jerk him out of bed and fire him on the spot. Jeri was bitter and wanted revenge.

I dont think Jimmy was going to hang around much longer but I believe he was definitely planning to return for an attempt at a 3-peat as evidenced by his comments to Deon during Super Bowl 28 and comments where he didn't think there was any way jeri would fire a 2 time Super Bowl winning QB:

Jimmy Johnson recruiting Deion - YouTube

No doubt Jimmy was on his last days in Dallas as he had grown sick and tired of Jeri's meddling and credit stealing:

Origin of feud per Jimmy Johnson - YouTube

jeri talking out of his ass here and couldn't abide by his own philosophy:

jeri on "credit" - YouTube

So what do I believe happened?

I believe there were growing tensions between the two and the end was drawing near since both were ready to be done with each other.

The "non-toast" was the spark that lit the fire that caused jeri to fire Jimmy (you can call it a nuanced firing with a caveat but it was still a firing imo)

I believe jeri was pissed and wanted the satisfaction of firing jimmy face to face and did in fact do so (I'm admittedly speculating since I wasn't in there). Jeri may have made Jimmy an offer that he knew Jimmy would never accept to try to soften the blow and give Jimmy a measure of face saving in the public eye. But in reality, jeri only did this to save his own face, not Jimmys, because jeri was so pissed he didn't give two shits about how Jimmy was perceived and realized he was the one that was going to take the PR hit.

So he paid Jimmy 2 million to leave (Jimmy had a ten year contract and you don't get 2 million when you break your contract and quit). Jimmy went along with it publicly in exchange for the 2 mill but also because I think Jimmy was hurt by the firing and it was a blow to his ego so it not being called a firing is more palatable even if deep down he knew he had just been fired.

Yes, he hadn't stayed long in all his venues but he was the one that got to make the choice to leave in all his previous stops. IIRC, he had never been fired so its a face saving measure to tell the world ex post facto he was going to quit anyway (I said something similar when my junior high girl friend broke up with me). Jimmy was hurt by it and I think it still stings him a little to this day.

So you can call it a "nuanced firing", a "firing with Asterisks" or just call it what it was: A firing triggered by a drunken owners feelings and pride being hurt over an employee who who didn't show him the respect he felt he deserved and because that employee would not also give him credit for things jeri didn't deserve.

That's my take based on living in Dallas while the shit went down, following it obsessively and reading several books on the issue with first hand accounts from different sources of the toast incident and subsequent statements by jeri saying he was going to fire Jimmy.

Book Sources:

#1: The Water Boy: From the Sidelines to the Owner's Box: Inside the CFL, the XFL, and the NFL by Bob Ackles

#2: King of The Cowboys: The Life & Times of Jerry Jones by Jim Dent

#3: Greatest Team Ever: The Dallas Cowboys Dynasty of the 1990’s by Ron St Angelo & Norm Hitzges


Screenshots from book #1:

Screenshots from Book #2

 

[Doomsday]

Thank you Yim, for such an informative and well sourced post.

Not sure how much of what Lacewell says can be counted on for veracity though.

But you really showed us all how it's done for posting toweringly awesome shit. I only wish I could give you 100 props instead of just the one. Post of the year no contest.

 

[theoneandonly]

"Shit, I could have coached the hell out of this team"

And there it is, the sentence that has doomed this franchise for two and a half decades, and been proven laughably wrong on an annual basis ever since.

 

[yimyammer]

Thank you Yim, for such an informative and well sourced post.

Not sure how much of what Lacewell says can be counted on for veracity though.

But you really showed us all how it's done for posting toweringly awesome shit. I only wish I could give you 100 props instead of just the one. Post of the year no contest.

You're welcome, its sickening to look back on and its even more sickening that the fans overwhelming love of the Cowboys (created by Schram, Landry, et al NOT jeri) has allowed jeri to get away with bloody murder and make money hand over fist in the process. Every fan should have turned their backs on all things Cowboys until jeri was forced to sell the team but fans are irrational and that'll never happen allowing jeri to ruin the cowboys until his last dying breath

Reading that Jim Dent book will make you want to punch a puppy, jeri is such an asshole buffoon but has managed to insulate himself with sycophants and reporters that have become too tired to call him out on his BS anymore or more likely blackballed to the point where only those willing to write stories ignoring jeri's BS survive. The one guy I recall (Tim MacMahon) that had the balls to ask jeri tough questions is now covering the Mavericks, I suspect that's not by happenstance

Jerry Jones on Jerry Jones the GM - YouTube

Even Dale Hanson seems to have lost the fight but does give the occasional nugget:

Herschel Walker trade was Jerry's idea? Huh, what? - YouTube

~SIGH~

correction in my previous post:

he didn't think there was any way jeri would fire a 2 time Super Bowl winning QB coach:

 

[yimyammer]

Not sure how much of what Lacewell says can be counted on for veracity though.

I try to scrutinize all sources and consider what they say with a grain of salt so for Lacewell to describe events in a negative light regarding Jimmy who was a long time friend/associate who got him the job with the Cowboys tends to make me think he may have undersold the harshness of events.

Then again, if Lacewell was looking out for his friend Jimmy then perhaps he spun the story to make jeri look worse.

I tend to think he gave a pretty even handed account and if anything attempted to polish the turd that was his boss and cash cow jeri. I understand people didn't like his influence on jeri as it related to the team on the field but he struck me as a fairly straight shooter, not prone to BS, unlike his moneymaker.

 

[Dodger12]

Great post Yimmy and it's really one of the greatest posts I've read on any message board. The sad part is, in Jerry's twisted mind, the 95 Super Bowl validated Jerry's twisted logic, and over two decades of mediocrity be damned.

This post needs to be bookmarked for future reference........

 

[NoMoRedJ]

I remember when I first heard the news I was pissed. Thought Jerry was a fool. Thought both guys were fools but Jerry the bigger fool.

But I guess the biggest fool of all is me for following this team for two more decades. Really its just following a memory . . .

 

[NoMoRedJ]

Yea its a great post Yim. Bringing back painful memories.

I hadnt read all of that previously.

 

[dbair1967]

Can I get the Cliff's Notes version Yim?

 

[dbair1967]

I remember when I first heard the news I was pissed. Thought Jerry was a fool. Thought both guys were fools but Jerry the bigger fool.
.

I still remember the footage from VR of Michael Irvin throwing the trashcan the day this was announced.

Most people don't remember, but Aikman actually rallied the players behind this initially, trying to get everyone focused and give Switzer a chance.

It didn't take Troy long to see Switzer was a boob and he hated the way things were being done. But Irvin (and a few other guys) who were so negative about the change ended up being fairly pro-Switzer.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Bottom line, I think if Jimmy still in his heart of hearts wanted to still be the coach, he would have made Jerry actually fire him, not participated in that final PC with Jerry, and collected his full contract instead of that buyout.

 

[Doomsday]

Bottom line, I think if Jimmy still in his heart of hearts wanted to still be the coach, he would have made Jerry actually fire him, not participated in that final PC with Jerry, and collected his full contract instead of that buyout.

Yeah I agree, he was ready to walk. It's why I don't buy any of the "crying" shit. He'd done what they all said couldn't be done, and ahead of schedule.

 

[NoMoRedJ]

Can I get the Cliff's Notes version Yim?

Its worth reading

 

[NoMoRedJ]

I still remember the footage from VR of Michael Irvin throwing the trashcan the day this was announced.

Most people don't remember, but Aikman actually rallied the players behind this initially, trying to get everyone focused and give Switzer a chance.

It didn't take Troy long to see Switzer was a boob and he hated the way things were being done. But Irvin (and a few other guys) who were so negative about the change ended up being fairly pro-Switzer.

Troy was thinking the same Switzer that had coached in college was what the Cowboys were getting.

IIRC Barry had the 4th highest winning % in NCAA history at the time.

I lived in Redskin territory at the time and was talking with a Skins fan that hated the Cowboys the day after and he was worried saying Switzer was a great coach and how we wouldnt miss a beat.

In reality if we hadnt spotted the Forty Whiners a 21 pt lead in that NFCCG we would have won 4 in a row. Barry was in a no win situation. It never was his team.

 

[yimyammer]

Can I get the Cliff's Notes version Yim?

just kidding. stop reading after the first sentence & you'll have your cliffs

 

[SixisBetter]

I never really hated Switzer, but I'll never forget he and Jerry holding the Lombardi up like two 12 year girls fighting for Bieber tickets.

Remember when every head coach of the Cowboys had won a Super Bowl?
Remember when only 2 head coaches had won NCAA titles and Super Bowls and they were both Cowboys?

*kicks trash can across room

 

[NoMoRedJ]

I never really hated Switzer, but I'll never forget he and Jerry holding the Lombardi up like two 12 year girls fighting for Bieber tickets.

Remember when every head coach of the Cowboys had won a Super Bowl?
Remember when only 2 head coaches had won NCAA titles and Super Bowls and they were both Cowboys?

*kicks trash can across room

And then Jerry got to have the fruit of his 40 yr brain mental labor so we got Chan, Campo, Wade and Red.

 

[dbair1967]

just kidding. stop reading after the first sentence & you'll have your cliffs

 

[yimyammer]

12/23/1994 - YouTube

full interview with Charlie Rose on 12-23-1994