Jerry Jones and his son Stephen have been together in the same room during the NFL Draft every year since the family purchased the Dallas Cowboys back in 1989, but the coronavirus pandemic has created some unprecedented circumstances this year. If there’s one silver lining, however, it’s that Jerry won’t be physically assaulted by Stephen when the Cowboys are making their picks.
There was reportedly some concern from other NFL teams that Jerry, who is the general manager of the Cowboys, and Stephen, who is the CEO and director of player personnel for the team, would be able to share a room together during the draft while all other executives have to be at their respective homes to follow social distancing guidelines. Stephen and Jerry told reporters on Tuesday that they actually will not be together during the event, and Jerry cracked a joke about how he will miss his son kicking him under the table over his decisions.
Jerry Jones said that after drafts his shins used to have bruises due to Stephen Jones kicking him under the table because of decision-making.
"I think I'm going to kind of miss that physical punishment."
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) April 21, 2020
While Jerry was clearly making a joke, there may have been some truth to it. There was a story several years ago about how Stephen had to physically restrain his father to stop him from turning in a draft card with Johnny Manziel’s name on it. Stephen also reportedly talked Jerry out of trading up to draft former Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, who turned out to a be a huge bust with the Denver Broncos.
The real question is who will be the one turning in the official picks to the NFL this weekend. If it’s Jerry, Cowboys fans may want to fasten their seatbelts.
