
via Getty
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 16: Owner and President of Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones speaks during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Announcement at the AT&T Discovery District on June 16, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)

via Getty
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 16: Owner and President of Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones speaks during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Announcement at the AT&T Discovery District on June 16, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys and their potential Super Bowl run can do without the distractions along the way. Owner Jerry Jones provided one when his old high school photo made the rounds on the internet recently. And for all the wrong reasons. The image showed a young Jerry Jones in a desegregation protest at North Little Rock High School in Arkansas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Washington Post reported the controversial news which featured this shocking Jerry Jones image. The 15-year-old could be seen peeking through the crowd as a group of white boys blocked the entry to the school for six black students. This shocked the entire sporting community and brought some negative light on America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys. However, Jerry provided an explanation.
Jerry Jones has never hired a black head coach for the Dallas Cowboys in the 33 years since he took over the organization. And pointers like these made their way up to the surface after the image came out. Jerry addressed the scandalous news and blamed his teenage curiosity as the sole contributor to his being there. “That was 65 years ago. And curious kid. Didn’t know at the time the monumental event that was going on,” the 80-year-old billionaire owner said.
Jerry Jones had the surprise support of the sporting community, but not all of it
In his presser, Jerry Jones also said that he is proud of the progress the entire American society has achieved from the time of the 1957 photo.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I’m sure glad that we’re a long way from that time. And that would remind me to continue to do just everything we can to not have those kinds of things happen,” Jones said. And Jerry had some unusual supporters. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Dallas QB Dak Prescott both reiterated the same sentiment when they discussed this news.

via Getty
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 16: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talk on the field prior to a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
However, some popular athletes decided to speak up. Notably, NBA legend LeBron James questioned the media’s reluctance to dig deeper into the matter. The 4x NBA champion asked the media why they weren’t asking him questions about the Jerry Jones controversy as opposed to the grueling presser after the Kyrie Irving suspension situation.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Jerry Jones won three Super Bowl championships in his first seven years of ownership. However, it’s been a dry run since the last ring in 1996. And the hands-on owner doesn’t want the minor hiccups to throw their focus off. He will be putting this episode in the back seat as his 9-3 Dallas Cowboys take on the Houston Texans.
WATCH THIS STORY: 80-year-old Jerry Jones shows a vulnerable state in the middle of a radio interview
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT