The NFL has been cracking down on “unsportsmanlike conduct” both on and off the field as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discovered this week.
On Sunday during the game between the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys, Jones gave some Jets fans the middle finger salute.
The NFL has fined Jones $250,000 for displaying the gesture!
In a video that has now gone viral shows Jones sitting in his box at MetLife Stadium and aiming the gesture at fans.
It is speculated that Jones will more than likely appeal the fine.
Jones has apologized for his actions during his radio show; saying that the gesture was “inadvertent” and was intended to be aimed at his own Cowboys fans.
Jones said, “that was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us. There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front — not Jets fans, Cowboys fans. The entire stadium was brimming with enthusiasm of Cowboys and certainly late in the game.”
He added, “(the gesture) was inadvertent on my part because that was right after we made our last touchdown, and we were all excited about it. There wasn’t any antagonistic issue or anything like that. I just put up the wrong show on the hand. That was inadvertently done. I’m not kidding. If you want to call it accidental, you can call it accidental. But it got straightened around pretty quick. I had a chance to look at it. It got straightened out pretty quick, but the intention was ‘thumbs up,’ and basically pointing at our fans because everybody was jumping up and down excited.”
Jerry Jones is not the first NFL team owner to get hit with a big fine for his behaviour; Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 for throwing a drink on fans in 2023 and then Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for giving Bills fans the middle finger salute.