DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former NFL Media journalist, which cites him as one of two owners who allegedly made racially insensitive comments, on a local radio show Tuesday morning.
In this weekly interview on 105.3 The Fan, Jones spoke on the Cowboys win over the Jets, the numerous headlines surrounding Dak Prescott, the FIFA president's attendance amid World Cup Final rumors and Jim Trotter's lawsuit.
Trotter is accusing the league of refusing to address what he calls long-standing institutional discrimination and said his contract was not renewed because he repeatedly voiced concerns regarding equity and racial injustice. Jones and Bills owner Terry Pegula were cited in the lawsuit for allegedly making racially insensitive comments.
Trotter implicated Jones by referring to a conversation he had with the Cowboys owner in 2020 on the issue of the lack of Black professionals in decision-making positions across the NFL. He said Jones’ response was, “If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire.”
Amid the reports of the lawsuit, Jones issued a statement that said: “Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to me personally and to the NFL. The representation made by Jim Trotter of a conversation that occurred over three years ago with myself and our VP of Player Personnel Will McClay is simply not accurate.”
Jones reiterated on 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning that those allegations are not true.
Here is Jones' full answer:
"I don’t have a lot to add in general. The issue was being criticized for in some manner implying that there was something other than the best spirit, best actions in me for being fair relative to biasness to race. That was just inaccurate. That allegation is just inaccurate, completely. I’m very active, and I’m very positive about having minority potential ownership in the National Football League. And I'm active in that direction. The main reason I’m qualified to say that to anybody who would fit that bill is because I came from the back of the pack to get to be a part of ownership. I certainly was not listed anywhere in the thousands and thousands and thousands of people on this earth as someone that was financially qualified to own an NFL team, and in doing so, have influence from the position of ownership. My position is the opposite from what I am being critiqued for. And it just didn't happen that way. So, it was not accurate. And again, for those who haven't read this or think this is important enough to be talking about the defense of it, I understand because I know the times we’re in. But I want to be a good soldier here.”
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