Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was fined $250,000 by the NFL on Tuesday following Sunday’s game where he made a seemingly obscene gesture toward New York Jets fans at MetLife Stadium.
A smiling Jones was caught on video appearing to give the middle finger to Jets fans late in the game, after quarterback Dak Prescott’s fourth touchdown pass gave the Cowboys a 37-14 lead with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter.
Jones said Tuesday during his radio show that he was trying to to flash a “thumbs up” at celebrating Cowboys fans below his box.
“That was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “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.”
Jones told listeners the gesture was “inadvertent” and not meant to be “antagonistic” at all.
“I just put up the wrong show on the hand. That was inadvertently done,” he said. “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.”
Similar behavior has resulted in heavy fines in the past.
In 2009, late Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 after making an obscene gesture while celebrating a win against the Buffalo Bills.
Last year, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 after he was caught on video throwing a drink at Jacksonville Jaguars fans.
Jones is considering an appeal of the fine, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said. A final decision is expected by Friday.
