"People love that" - Jerry Jones reveals how Cowboys thrived under negative press
The Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones have been synonymous with each other over the years. Since purchasing the franchise in 1989 for $150 million, they have grown from strength to strength both on and off the field.
With the franchise winning three Super Bowls under his ownership and venturing into the billions in terms of valuation, Jones is the man responsible for transforming Dallas into 'America's Team.'
But just how did he do it? In a recent conversation with Peter King, Jones revealed how he has always thrived beneath the media's radar:
"A few years after I bought the team, I’m out in Los Angeles having lunch with David Hill and Ed Goren of FOX. At that time, there were a lot of negative headlines about the Cowboys. Michael Irvin was in the headlines."
He went on:
"People are saying, ‘The owner’s an outlaw!’ And so that day I told them, ‘I’m tightening the lid on this franchise. We’re gonna get control of this team.’ And David Hill jumped up. He said, 'NO! Do not touch my ‘Boys! They are television gold! Don’t even think about it!’"
Jones went on to explain that the theatrics and drama involved with owning the franchise is what helped it establish itself as a household name in the first place:
“The foibles, the soap opera, the issues. They create interest. Add in the Senior Bowl, the combine, free agency, the draft, training camp, we always got something going. People follow us year ‘round. The owner every now and then gets in the paper. It just adds to the interest, all of it. People love that.”
Jerry Jones values the Dallas Cowboys at $10 billion
Before you go on to say that we made a typo, we didn't. $10 billion is what Jerry Jones values his beloved franchise at. While Forbes recently valued 'America's team' at $6.5 billion, Jones believes the team is worth much more:
“Ten up... More than $10 billion.”
As per NFL insider Marc Ganis, Jones could realistically bag himself $8.5 billion if he were to sell the franchise today.
Jerry Jones isn't looking to sell. In fact, he went on to say that he would never sell the franchise:
"Let me make this very clear... I’ll say it definitively. I will never do it. I will never sell the Cowboys. Ever."
Love him or hate him, Jones is here to stay. And one can be sure that he will fight tooth to nail to ensure that his franchise breaks its 26-year Super Bowl drought sonner rather than later.