Jerry Jones Takes Unprovoked Shot at Bengals in Court Testimony
By Cem Yolbulan
The NFL is currently involved in a class-action lawsuit against "Sunday Ticket" subscribers. The trial is currently ongoing and just entered its third week. As part of the federal court hearing, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones both submitted testimonies to defend the league's broadcast model.
The lawsuit covers 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package between 2011 and 2022. It claims that the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling this package of out-of-market games at an inflated price.
Regardless of what you think about the lawsuit, Jerry Jones' statements on the stand should fascinate you. Defending the league's broadcast model, Jones said he is against each team doing their own TV deals. He singled out the Cincinnati Bengals while doing so.
"I am convinced I would make a lot more money than the Bengals. I’m completely against each team doing TV deals. It is flawed.”"
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones
This was eyebrow-raising by Jones because if the Cowboys were allowed to negotiate their own TV deal, they would presumably be the team that would benefit the most out of any. Instead, Jones decided to take a shot at the Bengals.
At first, this may seem odd but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained why Jones singled out the AFC North contenders.
"His selection of the Bengals wasn’t random or accidental. Jones and Bengals owner Mike Brown have a longstanding feud regarding revenue sharing. As NFL legend has it, Jones and Brown once got into a heated argument during an ownership meeting over Brown’s refusal to sell naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium."
- Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk
There are plenty of teams that are in more dire conditions than the Cincinnati Bengals. They are a Super Bowl contender for next season with FanDuel Sportsbook having their odds of winning it all at +1400. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are at +1600. However, that doesn't seem to stop Jerry Jones from spewing his disdain for the Bengals and their owner.
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