Clearly Jerry Jones is affected by the insults and criticisms aimed at him in the wake of Greg Hardy’s sideline outburst Sunday in New York.
You call him an “enabler,” and the Cowboys owner responds by … not only not disciplining the defensive end, but promising to extend his one-year contract and keep him on the team for years go come.
“When we initially signed, talked to him, asked him to join the team, it was not only with the idea of the short term but a long-term purview," Jones said Tuesday morning on his weekly radio show on KRLD-FM. “He's, relatively speaking, a young player, and he certainly has the kinds of skills and impact that we want to look to the future with the Cowboys.”
Jones, in case you need reminding, did not become a billionaire and one of the most powerful men in sports by sticking with the status quo or being pushed around by media influence or public perception. So while fans feign disgust at Hardy confronting special teams coach Rich Bisaccia and national pundits call for him to be disciplined or even dismissed, Jones calls your check and returns volley with a check-mate by defiantly airing his intentions to make Hardy a Cowboy for life.
He was signed in March to a one-year, incentive-laden deal that could pay up to $13 million if he produces over a full season. With a couple of anger-related episodes but three sacks in two games, Hardy’s been exactly what Jones expected: An elite pass-rusher who can change the entire tenor of a defense.
You honestly think Jones is going to be swayed out of his ego-driven stubbornness?
“I would say they said that when I signed Hardy, so you begin right there," Jones said. “I really do understand completely their perspective, and they know I don't need to say it again, but that in no way is anybody anything but against any type of domestic violence. We won't get into that. That's not the point. We're talking about the sidelines, but you're going to go and take me on over to that aspect of it. The most comments I got on enabling was when we signed him. ‘They're enabling. It looks like you're basically condoning domestic violence,’ which is not the case.”
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A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
