Will Cowboys owner Jerry Jones be fined for his Halloween costume?
The owner of America’s Team is always in trouble for something it seems, and this time, it’s his Halloween costume that’s gotten him in a personal foul.
It’s a tough life being a billionaire and owner of one of the most famous sports franchises in the world. Sometimes you forget what you can and can’t get away with. Of all the things Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has done that are offensive though, this is one of the least. At a Halloween party, Jones dressed up as a blind NFL referee, with sunglasses, the striped t-shirt, and a walking stick.
Jones’ niece wrote on social media that she hopes the NFL has a sense of humor. Well, they might not - or at least not in this case. In the NFL, there are actually rules against making fun of referees.
The league protocol prohibits “comments regarding the quality of officiating, individual calls or missed calls, the league’s officiating department, an officiating crew or an individual game official accusing game officials of acting with bias or in any way questioning the integrity of NFL game officials; or posting negative or derogatory/demeaning content pertaining to officiating on social media”.
Jones’ costume was clearly making fun of referees in general for making bad calls and ignoring obvious penalties that anyone with decent vision should see. This could be considered a violation of that rule and the Cowboys’ owner could be fined for his costume choice. When asked about it, Jones maintained that he has nothing but respect for the NFL referees, but he still kept a sense of humor about it, too.
“I’m being very careful here because I’m getting real close to a fine,” he said. “It shows how much I love them to dress up as them, how much I respect their decision-making. I had the cane and everything. And I used it on some people, too.”
The NFL has yet to comment on whether to not they will fine Jones for the costume.