OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones spent Thursday afternoon explaining why a $500,000 fine was a serious matter. He took one detour first.
A reporter asked whether Jones liked that his team would not take much off anybody, referencing a comment Brian Schottenheimer made after Tuesday’s joint practice. The word Schottenheimer used could not be printed.
“I’m offended,” Jones said. “We’re here for clean sportsmanship.”
When the reporter added that it was especially offensive coming from him, Jones repeated the line back and asked whether the reporter’s mother was watching.
Then he dropped it.
“No, seriously, without any humor at all, this is a serious matter, and it needs to be taken that way by everybody associated at the club level right up through the top,” Jones explained.
The Fine Came Down Thursday Afternoon
The NFL fined the Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints $500,000 each for Tuesday’s joint practice in Oxnard, California. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the league’s statement at 3:03 p.m. CT.
Jones said the Cowboys will appeal. He also said the club will fine the players who were involved, and that the responsibility for doing so falls to the team rather than the league.
He called the amount stiff and said a number that size gets an organization’s attention.
Jones said the fines are meant to reach every level of a club, and he returned to that point more than once during the availability.
What Happened Tuesday
Donovan Ezeiruaku was thrown out of the session for throwing a punch. It was the second time this month Dallas removed him from a practice for fighting, after the Aug. 6 session. Caelen Carson also threw a punch, which officials did not see.
Saints center Erik McCoy threw a Cowboys player’s helmet into the air during one scrum. Jalen Thompson was taken to the ground by a Saints player.
Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore agreed on the field that another incident or two would end the practice early.
Reporters at the session counted the fights differently. Katherine Terrell of ESPN reported at least two between the Saints offense and the Cowboys defense. Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS put the total at seven or more.
Jones described joint practices as a setting without the usual restraints, saying there are no penalties that make a real difference and no officiating consequences.
Under the NFL’s rules for joint practices, players who behave inappropriately are subject to fines. Coaches are held to the same standard.
They Meet Again Aug. 28
Dallas and New Orleans play at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Aug. 28, in the Cowboys’ preseason finale. Kickoff is 7 p.m. CT, and it is the only preseason game Dallas plays at home this year.
Moore spent four seasons as a Cowboys quarterback and four more on the Dallas coaching staff, the last three as offensive coordinator.
Tuesday was the second joint practice of camp for Dallas. The Cowboys worked against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 11 in Woodland Hills, California, and neither team had a fighting problem that day.
Thursday closed the Oxnard portion of camp. Dallas plays at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and holds open practices at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
