Jerry Jones found himself at the center of attention for all the wrong reasons when a resurfaced image came to light 65 years later.
The photograph, which featured a then 14-year-old Jones alongside a crowd of others who infamously protested the desegregation of Little Rock High School in 1957, caught the attention of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. James followed up with a callout toward reporters for not questioning the 37-year-old as they did when Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving garnered media scrutiny for his controversial social media posts.
As Jones made his weekly appearance on the radio waves, the Dallas Cowboys owner issued his response to James.
“First of all, you have to hear me say how much I think of LeBron,” Jones said during an appearance on the “K&C Masterpiece” show on Audacy’s 105.3 The Fan. “I don’t know of anybody that I respect more. I don’t know of anybody that has taken every opportunity he’s had and maximized it. Not only (has he been) a great ambassador for the sport, he has taken sports, he has taken his venues, and used those platforms.
Jones added: “I just want to be sure you know where I’m coming from. It made buttons pop off my vest, so to speak, when he would talk about how much of a Cowboy fan he was. He would’ve made a great tight end. That doesn’t change. There’s nothing about any of that that changes. And I did hear what he had to say.”
The now-80-year-old multi-billionaire never directly addressed his role in one of the United States’ most historically disturbing periods, which, as one could expect, placed his team’s quarterback in an odd predicament during the week.
On Wednesday, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott met with members of the media to provide his two cents on the matter.
“A guy who is completely biracial, Black and white, it’s easy for me to speak on race on one side or another,” Prescott said. “And I don’t always, how do I say this? I don’t know if I’ve fully processed it all the way, honestly. I think whether LeBron’s talking to the picture, that’s on Jerry to address.”
