ESPN reported Tuesday, citing sources, that Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft had a heated exchange during an NFL owners meeting in New York.
On Friday, Jones basically confirmed the verbal dustup, which reportedly involved him telling Kraft, “Don’t (expletive) with me,” as the league’s owners voted 31-1 to allow the compensation committee to begin negotiations on a new contract with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“When you are in those situations you express yourself with people you know, people you are around a lot, you express yourself in different ways,” Jones said Friday during his weekly radio interview on KRLD-FM, as transcribed by The Dallas Morning News. “I would say that in this particular case it’s probably accurate that I did express myself in probably a way that’s not in good taste.”
Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, was the only owner who voted against the measure, per ESPN. When faced with Jones’ expletive, Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, reportedly replied, “Excuse me?” And Jones reportedly fired back, “Don’t mess with me.”
Jones explained Friday he was neither surprised nor disappointed when details from the meeting trickled out, as he’s used to being in situations where his words could be recorded or repeated. He made sure to clarify his stance on Goodell, though.
“Let me be real clear, I’m a real supporter of Goodell as our commissioner,” Jones said. “I think he’s done outstanding. He’s been a commissioner with a structure, with a governance that’s really unique. It is not like a normal business structure, it’s like a family structure. What you heard (from me) was an issue with the structure regarding how we were going to address the commissioner.
” … I was basically expressing myself in that area, not my support or Roger. As a matter of fact, I actually stood up and made a nomination for his potential extension. Then when I heard the structure of how we were going to approach it, then I didn’t agree with that.”
ESPN’s source indicated Jones’ outburst Tuesday was not connected to any lingering animosity between him and Kraft. And Jones’ comments Friday also seem to indicate such, as both men have been around the NFL for a long time and clearly the temperature can go up a notch or two when discussing high-level matters like the commissioner’s lucrative contract.
