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Nov 02, 2022
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Longtime owner of the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones, could face a fine from the NFL for his sassy Halloween costume.
A photo of Jones, 80, dressed up as a "blind referee" was posted online by his niece, Keri Chambers.
Sporting a striped referee shirt, sunglasses, and a cane, Jones' costume poked fun at past calls referees have made. Both Jones and Cowboys fans have a long history of pushing back against referees
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"I’m being very careful here because I’m getting real close to a fine," Jones told Sports Illustrated. "It shows how much I love them to dress up as them ... how much I respect their decision-making.
“I had the cane and everything. And I used it on some people, too," Jones added.
\u201cCowboys owner Jerry Jones with the epic troll Halloween costume. A blind ref.\nHope @nfl has a sense of humor\u201d— Clarence Hill Jr (@Clarence Hill Jr) 1667151406
The NFL prohibits any "tauntings, ejections, inappropriate celebrations, and abuses of officials, either verbally or physically" and has sent memos to teams over the years to remind them.
In a 2019 memo, the NFL said, "violations of these policies will result in prompt disciplinary action by the League office, which may include fines of the club and/or individual who make such public comments. Egregious and inflammatory public comments could result in the suspension of the individual(s) making the comment.”
People online had mixed reactions to Jones' costume. Some felt the "NFL needs to develop a sense of humor," while others found it "offensive."
\u201cHappy Halloween !! Jerry jones as a blind referee, love the spirit and accuracy \ud83c\udfc8\u2764\ufe0f#HappyHalloween #CowboysNation\u201d— miss_junebugg (@miss_junebugg) 1667232157
\u201cCoyboys owner Jerry Jones is looking at a huge fine for dressing up as a blind referee for Halloween. Can\u2019t figure out if he offended the blind or the referees, but either way, the NFL needs to develop a sense of humor. That shit was funny as hell. #Cowboys\u201d— Jim Queen (@Jim Queen) 1667396624
\u201cJerry Jones made a poor choice for a Halloween costume.\n\nWe need to remember NMSU used to have a skit during timeouts where 3 Blind Mice would be played while a band member in a refs jersey, sunglasses, and a cane, would parade around them.\n\nIt was offensive and was scratched.\u201d— CIAggieSports \ud83c\udfc8 \ud83c\udfc0 \ud83e\udd4e \ud83c\udfca\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \u26be\ufe0f (@CIAggieSports \ud83c\udfc8 \ud83c\udfc0 \ud83e\udd4e \ud83c\udfca\u200d\u2640\ufe0f \u26be\ufe0f) 1667346709
\u201cJerry Recco thinks Jerry Jones' blind referee Halloween costume wasn't offensive to anyone. He's forgetting the sightless.\u201d— Gerald So (@Gerald So) 1667382854
The NFL has not publicly responded to Jones' costume nor indicated whether he will receive a fine.
But should Jones be fined it would not be the first time he faced a fine for publicly criticizing a ref. In 2008, Jones was fined $25k for publicly slamming NFL ref Ed Hochuli.
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