The National Football League has fined Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for what he described as an “inadvertent” obscene gesture towards fans at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Video footage captured Jones appearing to raise his middle finger during the Cowboys’ 37-22 victory over the New York Jets.
Jones, speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, claimed the gesture was unintentional and intended as a thumbs-up to Cowboys supporters. “There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front – not Jets fans,” he said. “I just put up the wrong show on the hand. That was inadvertently done.”
The fine, which comes from Jones’s estimated $16bn net worth, follows similar penalties against other NFL owners. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 for tossing a drink at fans in January 2024, while former Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 in 2009 for an obscene gesture at Bills fans.
Jones had a busy off-season, drawing criticism from Cowboys fans after trading star pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. He also featured prominently in a Netflix documentary about building the Cowboys into the world’s most valuable sports franchise.
