“Get Tough, Son”: Years Before Raising $8 Billion Worth Cowboys Empire, Jerry Jones Revealed Why His Trainer Shouted a Firm No to His Biggest ‘Deal’

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is one of the most prominent figures when it comes to the world of football. After buying out the team for $140 million in 1989, he turned it into the NFL’s richest team. Now, the Cowboys are nearly worth $8 billion. And we can credit it to Jones’ drive and passion for football. The three-decade reign of Jerry Jones has seen the Cowboys transition from what they were in the 90s to the most valuable sporting franchise in the world today. But, after all that, there is something that the Owner wished to do but could not.

Before building the billion-dollar franchise, Jones recently revealed his intentions of being a professional footballer himself, and also the reason behind it not coming to fruition.

Jerry Jones reveals the reason for not playing professional football

During a recent interview with Jim Cramer for CNBC, Cramer asked Jerry Jones how he formulated the idea of taking up the Cowboys and turning it into one of the most successful business ventures of all time. To this, Jones replied by stating that he had always had a passion for football. He talked about how he always wanted to be a part of the future of football and hoped to be in the league one day. But, then, it is because of this trainer’s words that Jones did not follow a professional playing career, and it shifted his focus to engage with football differently.

Read more: 9x Pro Bowler Former Cowboys DB Makes Jerry Jones an Offer He Couldn’t Refuse

Jones stated, “My trainer said ‘Jones, I believe that you have the lowest tolerance for pain than any kid we ever had in this school. Get tough son.’ It hurts me more than it does the rest of them. I deserve a medal. But I loved football.”

While his trainer might not have had faith in the young Jerry Jones to make a career out of football, he embarked on his own journey to becoming one of the most prominent figures of the NFL today.

Jones’ billion-dollar journey with the Cowboys

When Jones initially brought the Cowboys back in 1989, he leveraged all his knowledge and skills to break through and create different channels of revenue for the franchise. In 1995, he created his own sponsorship deals at Texas Stadium, the former home of the team. He did so by going around the traditional revenue-sharing agreement the league had back then.

Even recently in 2021, the Cowboys signed a 10-year $200 million deal with Molson Coors to be the only beer sold at their new home ground, AT&T Stadium. Jones also leveraged the franchise’s popularity and capitalized on the franchise merchandising as well. Using his prowess and knowledge of the football market, Jones gradually built the franchise into the $8 billion dollar sports entity we know them as today.  

Despite being a big part of the Cowboys’ tremendous popularity over the years, one might ponder whether Jones still regrets not being able to play professionally in the league. Now way past his prime, maybe this might be one of the things he won’t be able to fulfill anymore.

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