Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is speaking for the first time about an ESPN article detailing a $2.4 million settlement the organization paid to four cheerleaders who raised allegations of voyeurism against a now-former senior team executive.
“Jerry, I have to ask you about the cheerleader controversy and the ESPN article. I know there is not a lot you can say because of the non-disclosure agreement but why did you choose to settle,” asked NBC 5 anchor and reporter Meredith Land.
"First of all, the cheerleaders are iconic. A vital part of what our organization is, the Dallas Cowboys. We took these allegations very seriously. We immediately began to look-see, an investigation into the situation. I can assure you that had we found that it need be, there would have been firings or there would have been suspensions. As it turns out, in the best interest of our cheerleaders, and the best interest of the organization, in the best interest of our fans, what we decided to do was show the cheerleaders how seriously we took these allegations and we wanted them to know that we were real serious and so the settlement was the way to go,” said Jones.
The executive named in the article, Rich Dalrymple, recently retired, six years after the allegations surfaced. He was with the team for 32 years. We reached out to him and have not heard back. Last week, Dalrymple told ESPN, in part, “I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false. Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully."
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NBC-5 reached out to an attorney who handled the cheerleaders’ claims and have not heard back.
