Cowboys fined by the NFL. How did owner Jerry Jones respond?

Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Aug 20, 2026

Published in Football

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The Dallas Cowboys were fined $500,000 by the NFL on Thursday for fights during joint practices with the New Orleans Saints earlier this week.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones responded to the fine by saying the Cowboys would appeal but understood why it was doled out.

“Yes, we will appeal, and that’s ... pretty stiff, but it does make the point that it’s a serious matter, and it starts with everybody at all levels of a club,” Jones said. “It really emphasizes the league’s intent to control it from the very top, which when they start dealing out those kinds of fines, they get your attention.

“We understand that you don’t have the discipline of penalties that are real difference makers out here, and frankly, you probably don’t have the officiating consequences. So this game is physical, and it’s easy to get involved with aggressive temperaments.

“All of that makes it a real focal point of the league to stay within good sport, and the taking of helmets off and swinging and hitting and that type of thing is not good for anybody. And it’s certainly not what we want to represent to our fans and as a league or as a team, and so it’s understandable how they’re coming down with a real severe fine.”

Jones did say he would fine the players involved in the fights.

The Cowboys and Saints skirmishes were mostly between the Dallas defense and the New Orleans offense, for example, outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku getting into it with offensive tackle Erik McCoy.