Getty Jerry Jones
He’s baaaaack … in the building.
For the first time since mid-March, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sat behind his desk at The Star as the NFL permitted team facilities to re-open Tuesday.
The Cowboys were one of several clubs that met local and state requirements for non-essential businesses shuttered by the coronavirus. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was among the first of his field to undo lockdown measures he enacted to combat the pandemic.
In a video posted to the Cowboys’ official website, Jones is shown participating in a virtual owners meeting with his league counterparts.
“This is a big day for clubs all over the NFL and for our league as a whole, a big day for sports in general, a day for building confidence,” Jones said. “It’s great to be back in the office this morning. I thought there was no better place for me to participate in our virtual League meeting today than right here at my desk at The Star.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones returned to the Star today as NFL facilities begin to reopen. Coaches and players will wait a bit longer. But here’s a step forward…
(📸: @dallascowboys)
Because some states have not or can not yet relax social distancing and stay-at-home orders, and thus not all 32 NFL facilities are turning on their lights, the league is allowing a maximum of 75 team employees — and rehabbing players — to return to their respective headquarters. This, to avoid creating competitive advantages (or disadvantages).
Coaches and healthy players remain barred from the premises. But the team’s website notes that “by next week” a larger contingent of staff and personnel can flock to Frisco.
“In the days and weeks ahead I look forward to welcoming so many of our employees back to the workplace,” Jones said.
Jones was shown wearing a protective face mask in the aforementioned video. Falcons president Rich McKay was spotted with a similar mask, and had his temperature taken, upon entry into Atlanta’s facility.
It’s going to be a unique season unlike any the sport has ever seen. But if you’re among those who want football in 2020, Tuesday was a milestone. And as the NFL marches onward, Jones says, the Cowboys will continue following the necessary guidelines to aid that process.
“We are going to be deliberate but also determined,” he said. “We will keep a close eye on the comfort and care of all of our employees who will be involved in this transition. We are committed to doing that in a smart and safe way that complies with all of the appropriate health and workplace safety standards. We’ll do it the right way.”
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Jerry Jones Made Incredible Offer to LeBron James
Most of Cowboys Nation is aware that NBA icon LeBron James‘ favorite team dons the star. What you didn’t know, until Monday evening, was that James nearly donned the star himself.
This moment in history can be traced back to the 2011 NBA lockout when James began training to play professional football.
“I had no idea how long the lockout was going to be,” James said on WRTS: After Party, via TheSpun.com and Pro Football Talk. “Myself and my trainer, Mike Mancias, we really started to actually train to be a football player when it came to October or November. We started to clock our time in the 40. We started to add a little bit more in our bench presses. We started to add a little bit more sled in our workouts.”
The basketball lockout eventually ended that year and James, then a member of the Miami Heat, again backburned his NFL dreams. He hasn’t flirted with the idea since.
But the future Hall-of-Famer does possess quite the reminder that he came thisclose to catching passes from Tony Romo, putting his seven-foot wingspan to a different use.
“I know he got a contract from Jerry Jones that he framed and put in his office,” James’ business partner Maverick Carter said, via USA Today.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL