In his weekly interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jerry said he meant to give Cowboys fans a thumbs up when he “accidentally” gave them the finger.
DALLAS — An “unfortunate” viral moment where Jerry Jones gave Cowboys fans the finger, which he called an accident, has been made even worse for him with a $250,000 fine.
According to reporter Adam Schefter, sources tell him the NFL issued the fine against Jones for the incident on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
A Dallas Cowboys spokesperson says Jones decided not to appeal the fine.
The viral video shows Jones celebrating after the Cowboys’ last touchdown of the game when he briefly put up his middle finger, seemingly at Jets fans. The Cowboys won the game 37-22. In an interview with 105.3 The Fan, Jones said that the incident was “unfortunate.”
“That was inadvertent on my part; that was right after we made our last touchdown. There wasn’t any antagonistic issue… I just put up the wrong show of my hand,” Jones said. “If you wanna call it an accident, call it an accident… the intention was thumbs up and pointing at our fans because everyone was excited.”
After the video of Jerry giving the finger went viral, speculation swirled about whether he would be fined for the gesture. Former Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for flashing a similar gesture at the fans of the opposing team.
Jones said that if he was giving anyone the finger (accidentally), it was Cowboys fans.
“That was unfortunate; that was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us,” Jones said on The Fan. “There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front, not Jet fans but Cowboys fans. The stadium with brimming with the enthusiasm of the Cowboys, certainly late in the game… That was inadvertent on my part.”