“A real mistake” – When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones backed ‘Jewish’ Dan Snyder
The Washington Commanders' history under Dan Snyder is less than entertaining if you're a fan of the team. Among all the controversies during his tenure, the one concerning the team's name also created a lot of distractions for most of the previous decade.
In 2013, one of Snyder's biggest defendants was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, one of the league's most powerful owners. The support was welcomed at a time when Washington's owner was under fire, but the choice of words used by Jones an hour before a game between the two teams was interesting:
"It would be a real mistake - a real mistake - to think Dan, who is Jewish, has a lack of sensitivity regarding anybody's feelings."
What was Washington's name controversy? Why Dan Snyder tried not to change?
The name controversy was just starting to get hot, and it was clear that Snyder wasn't a fan of changing a name that he considered historic. However, Jones talking about his friend's religion to defend his point was plain weird.
Back in 2013, Goodell stood by the two owners' side and expressed his feelings:
"I'm confident that he's listening. I'm confident he feels strongly about that name, but he also wants to do the right thing. We want to make sure what we're doing is not insulting in any way to anybody. Again, I think the Redskins have always done this in a way that respects the honor and tradition and the history of Native Americans. And that's something for them to be proud of."
The Washington Commanders were called the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 2020. The Redskins name was considered offensive to Native Americans, and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) considered the name a racial slur.
A decade ago, public pressure started to mount on the team, with the Washington Post announcing their editorials would not use the Redskins name again. Although the discussion was hot during the decade, Snyder made no mention of changing the name in the subsequent years.
However, the owner was forced to review his position in 2020, following questions about racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. A letter sent by 87 shareholders of the team was also sent to sponsors such as Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo, threatening to cut ties unless the name was changed.
The Washington team retired its former name in July 2020.
How did Jerry Jones make his money?
The Dallas Cowboys made his fortune from oil investments back in the 1970s, investing in many drilling opportunities that netted him some cash to kick off his investing life. However, it wasn't until buying the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 for $150 million that he became a mogul.
The Cowboys are now worth $8 billion according to Forbes and Jones' personal net worth is $11.8 billion.