Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones’ loyalty indicates bright future for Ezekiel Elliott

After Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott latest incident, critics wondered if he squandered his opportunity to make more money.

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott was placed in handcuffs but not arrested after an incident with Las Vegas security guard last weekend.

Zeke was attending a music festival in Las Vegas where the incident occurred, and video footage shows Zeke walking towards the security guard and saying something to him. But it looks as if the guard fell back as Zeke approached him.

As we all know, the security guard decided not to press charges and moved on . And as expected, the video went viral and the Cowboys’ critics and Cowboys Nation all wondered one thing and one thing only: Would this incident hinder Zeke from getting a long-term contract?

Well…of course not!

For one reason, Zeke is arguably one the best running back in the NFL (It’s not up for debate). Call me biased but name one thing he cannot do elite as a running back.

Another reason this latest and unfortunate incident won’t stop Zeke from getting his money/extension is because of one man only: Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys.

In laymen terms, Jerry Jones is beyond loyal to his players. Whether its right, wrong, or other, ole Jerry stands by his players-especially the ones with elite talent.

Like I stated before, Zeke is the best running back in the league and Jerry is going to do everything in his power to make sure that Zeke gets paid because quite frankly, the Cowboys need Zeke to make a run to the Super Bowl.

Further, Jerry doesn’t want to risk Zeke sitting out and dealing with all of that other stuff. And since the league isn’t too worried about this incident, Jerry isn’t too worried about it either.

Now back to Jerry and his loyalty to his players.

This is nothing new about how Jerry is not only loyal to his players, but definitely loves them, too. During the 2017 season, Jerry went beyond the call of duty and fought tooth and nail to make sure Zeke wasn’t suspended for a domestic violence incident that he was never arrested for.

Also, Jerry fought hard for Zeke because several investigators questioned the credibility of the victim, Tiffany Thompson. It can be noted that Jerry fought for Zeke’s innocence and being labeled a domestic violence perpetrator just as much as he wanted Zeke on the field.

But Jerry’s loyalty to Zeke is just the latest example of players that Jerry has shown loyalty to. For example, you can go back to 1996 when Dallas’ Hall of Famer Michael Irvin was arrested in a Dallas hotel room with cocaine and marijuana.

Jerry was there for the “Playmaker” in every way imaginable, including rehab. Jerry would continue to be loyal to Irvin in subsequent years when Irvin found himself in trouble with the law. The loyalty with Irvin is so tight that Jerry was the one who introduced Irvin at his Hall of Fame induction.

Jerry has been there for Irvin decades after his playing days ended. Now that’s saying something.

It’s well documented how Jerry illustrated his loyalty to former Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant after Dez’s incident with his own mother. Jerry made sure Dez received the needed help for his anger issues, even given Bryant a 24-hour security detail.

Suffice to say, Jerry rewarded Dez with a $45 million contract back in 2015.

There are former and lesser known Dallas players that Jerry is loyal to in some form or fashion. In 2000, Jerry signed defensive end Dimitrius Underwood-who struggled with mental illness. Even after Underwood tried to kill himself by running onto a busy highway, Jerry still stuck by him unitl Underwood was admitted into a psychiatric hospital.

Jerry was there for former defensive lineman Alonzo Spellman-who suffered from a bipolar disorder. Because of the success Dallas had with helping Spellman, Jerry felt like they could do the same for Underwood.

Jerry was loyal to Adam “Pacman” Jones, and current defensive end Randy Gregory. Mr. Gregory has been suspended several times for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. And Gregory is currently suspended indefinitely.

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Yep, and Gregory is still on the team because Jerry knows its more to it with Gregory than sacking the quarterback. Sure, Jerry wants Gregory because of his gift to tackle opposing quarterbacks, but Gregory suffers from anxiety and other issues as well, and Jerry wants to make sure Gregory’s issues are resolved for the better.

There are other players Jerry has looked out for, but there is one that is tragic in nature. On December 8 2012 former defensive lineman Josh Brent had a motor vehicle accident-he was the driver-and killed his teammate, Jerry Brown.

Brent was charged with intoxication and manslaughter for the death of Brown. Jerry was there for Brent after he was sentenced to 180 days in jail and going on probation for 10 years. Jerry gave Brent a job in Dallas’ scouting department in September 2015.

Instead of Jerry discarding Brown like so many owners would have done, Jerry didn’t give up on Brown, the previous players he’s helped before, and he’s not going to give up Zeke either-whether Zeke wears the star or not.

Now that’s loyalty and that’s how it should be.

• Published on 05/23/2019 at 12:00 PM
• Last updated at 05/23/2019 at 08:30 AM