Jerry Jones gives cavalier answer on arrest of Sam Williams, downplays its seriousness
Jerry Jones is legendary for some of the curious things that come out of his mouth.
Sometimes they’re funny. Sometimes they simply miss the mark.
The latter was certainly the case Wednesday when the Dallas Cowboys owner proved to be tone deaf when asked about the arrest of second-year defensive end Sam Williams by Frisco police Sunday on charges of possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying of a weapon.
Jones said Williams’ issues would likely not impact his ability to play for the Cowboys in 2023.
“I don’t anticipate this impacting his time on the field,” Jones said. “And I do have all the details. There are some lessons to be learned there for everybody.”
“He hit the wrong combination of things,” Jones said. “When you add those together … it’s something that everybody ought to think about.”
But Jones went too far and was too cavalier when he downplayed the seriousness of the issue for Williams, who had a history of off-the-field issues in college at Ole Miss and has now been arrested twice in two years with the Cowboys.
A strong rookie season in 2022 was blemished in December when Williams was involved in a two-car accident, which resulted in an arrest warrant.
Williams’ car was totaled in the crash. He and the driver of the other vehicle avoided serious injuries. They were both briefly hospitalized.
Williams walked away with some scratches on his face, along with a concussion and neck strain.
He missed one game for precautionary reasons.
Williams was cited on a charge of misdemeanor reckless driving, but concerning details later emerged.
According to Plano police, Williams was driving up to 98 mph in a 55 mph zone, weaving between vehicles, shortly before the Dec. 22 crash.
Jones used that incident to insinuate that Williams was making progress because he was traveling 66 mph when he arrested on Sunday night.
“He’s maturing and he is. He was going 66 miles per hour this year, so he’s 34 miles an hour less than he was last year, 98 to 66 so that’s improvement,” Jones said with a smile.
Is that the message he wants to send to Williams and the rest of the team?
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 7:38 PM.
