Expect zero fallout for Dallas Cowboys, or Jerry Jones, after cheerleader fiasco
Jerry Jones sat in front of a throng of reporters on Wednesday and did not take questions regarding anything other than a boxing match he’s promoting.
He knows other questions are coming on the organization settling a voyeurism claim against a former executive, and he may want to provide a better response than a “look-see.”
From the day he bought the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry has never ducked a question, and he won’t now because he knows, better than anyone, this too shall pass.
He knows, better than anyone, consumers will put aside whatever feelings of disgust they may have for him, or even the NFL, because ultimately they just want their football.
If Jerry wants to maintain this level of visibility, for the sake of the Dallas Cowboys and himself, he needs to update how he views women in the workplace.
The owner of the Dallas Cowboys is under some, but not much, scrutiny after an ESPN report detailed accusations by former members of the team’s cheerleading squad who alleged improper behavior by a former team executive who recently retired.
The team settled the claim with the cheerleaders for a reported $2.4 million, which included a non-disclosure agreement. The former employee, the team’s longtime PR director Rich Dalrymple, retired after 32 years with the team, just two weeks before the report was published.
Dalrymple has denied the accusations.
Jerry’s primary concern surrounding “Cheerleader Gate” is if more members of the squad come forward with allegations of improper behavior, and would require their own six-figure settlement check in exchange for a quick NDA signature.
Jerry talked to longtime NBC 5 anchor Meredith Land last week in an interview that didn’t exactly clean up the matter.
“We took these allegations very seriously,” Jerry told Land. “We immediately began to look-see, an investigation into the situation. I can assure you that had we found that it need be, there would have been firings or there would have been suspensions.”
Not sure “look-see” is in the PR playbook.
For those of us conditioned to Jerry Speak, we were not surprised.
When he cut the ribbon at then-Cowboys Stadium in 2009, he championed the completion of the project as a result of old-school effort and values from a time when men were men, and women were women.
He’s from a different generation, when women in the workplace often implied a different meaning.
Jerry’s folksy and whimsical language is from a bygone era, and can often sound charming. That is up until they sound tone deaf, insincere and sexist.
Jerry’s answers to Land didn’t answer anything. If anything, they just opened another 44 oz. can of Uncomfortable Questions. Those are coming, later this week.
Jerry flew from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis to here to attend the press conference to hype the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas welterweight match scheduled for April 16 at AT&T Stadium.
Jerry spoke for a few minutes, took a few staged photos, and he planned to return to Indy for the combine. Expect him to address the story with the media there.
What Jerry does not want is for the NFL to be forced into “investigating” the allegations, and produce some Washington Commanders Cheerleaders fiasco.
That would not be good programming for CMT’s “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.”
The NFL doesn’t want to investigate, and said as much.
Sarah Hepola of Texas Monthly has a podcast dedicated to the Cowboys’ cheerleaders, “America’s Girls.” In the series she has uncovered some troubling stories about the squad, specifically Jerry’s alleged treatment of the young women early in his tenure as owner of the franchise.
Criminal stories? No.
Uncomfortable stories? Yes.
Unprofessional tales from another time that should not have happened then, or now? Absolutely.
Anecdotes that may cause a former cheerleader to hire a lawyer looking for a payout in exchange for their silence? For sure.
Stories that will affect fans from buying a Cowboys’ shirt, hat or ticket? No way.
Stories that will deter young women from lining up from Frisco to San Francisco for the chance to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader? No way in hell.
Jerry is 79 years old, and he is well aware of all of these scenarios.
He may say some dumb sentences, but this is not a dumb man.
He’s smart enough to know more questions are coming, and he should answer them better than with a “look-see.”
He also knows that, ultimately, whatever he says won’t affect his customers.
That doesn’t mean his language and attitude don’t need updating.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 5:18 PM.
