NFL
By: Greg Rector
Amidst the Thanksgiving Day celebrations of the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 victory over the New York Giants, social media wasn’t focused so much on the game itself. Instead, it was a photograph from 1957, and the fact that the owner of the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones as a 14-year-old, was pictured as one of the far too many young white faces who were blocking Little Rock Arkansas Central High School from being accessed by what is now known as “The Little Rock Nine,” and the Little Rock Crisis. The story first broke in the Washington Post last Wednesday.
Before he is allowed to continue owning an NFL team, Jerry Jones should have to:
1) Hire a Black head coach
2) Meet with Dr. Umar on 60 minutes
3) Publish a positive review about his favorite Tyler Perry film
4) Donate $5M to the ACLU
5) Apologize to the Black folks in this pic https://t.co/6KXjVTFcgb— Ivan Drago (@magic_zip) November 23, 2022
Anyone who has ever read my Cowboy’s articles over the last few years also knows I have called upon good old Jerry to be better when it comes to racial and social issues. Here’s a previous article concerning the response to the George Floyd protests and Black Lives Matter. You also know I am no fan of him and his baby boy Stephen’s brand-first mentality.
The fact that as a young white student in the south in 1957 Jerry was photographed outside of Central High is not a huge surprise. The story of the “Little Rock Nine,” is fairly well known, but for those who aren’t familiar with what happened the nine black students who wanted to segregate Central High in Little Rock, like so many other black students in the south after the landmark 1954 Brown v Board of Education Supreme Court decision, were faced by a large segment of white people determined to resist things changing. That would include those in power such as the Governor of Arkansas at the time Orval Faubus. Faubus was plain and simple a racist. After the Brown decision Virgil Blossom, the Superintendent of Schools submitted a plan for gradual integration of the Little Rock schools in 1955 for the 1957 school year. Part of the problem was the fact that only Central High was to be integrated. That made it easy for the white population to focus their protests on one location. That meant they could put all their focus and manpower on Central High. With so much time (2 years) to prepare their resistance and they were well organized. Governor Faubus was also running for a third term, so politics was a definite factor. In order to appease the segregationists Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to help prevent the students from enrolling at Central High. It got ugly as we all know. Elizabeth Eckford one of the nine students,
“They moved closer and closer. … Somebody started yelling. … I tried to see a friendly face somewhere in the crowd—someone who maybe could help. I looked into the face of an old woman and it seemed a kind face, but when I looked at her again, she spat on me.”
President Eisenhower had to step in. He federalized the Arkansas National Guard taking control of them away from Governor Faubus and using the Insurrection Act of 1807 which is the only circumstance where the military can be used for domestic law enforcement, he sent in the 101st Airborne (only the white soldiers, the black soldiers came a month later) to ensure the “Little Rock Nine,” were enrolled and could begin classes.
This gets personal for me. My late wife was a graduate of Little Rock Central High. She was in the next generation of students, and yes the tensions still existed during her time as a student. Having lived there for 18 years from the 80’s into the 2000s that history was a stain on a city I grew to love.
The Present
Now back to Jerry Jones. The picture depicts Jones being there as for any other actions he took, that’s not documented so it would be sheer speculation. I cannot speak to what was his mindset or his other actions at that time. What I can speak to is from 1988 to 2022 Jerry Jones has said a lot of the right things concerning race, the NFL, and the Dallas Cowboys. As I criticized him in 2020 for the lack of proof of real change and not just some PR-driven letter from the desk of the Dallas Cowboys owner, his rhetoric does not equate to real change.
I can for example only recall Brian Stewart as the lone black defensive coordinator and Maurice Cawthorn as the lone black offensive coordinator. Certainly seeing Will McClay the vice president of player personnel, and many position coaches being black is a good thing. This is where Jerry’s words versus his deeds come into question. With just two coordinators being black considering the numerous times there’s been coaching changes simply doesn’t seem right, nor is it. There’s never been a true black candidate to be the head coach of the Cowboys. Look no further than the last “coaching search,” after Jason Garrett was fired. Marvin Lewis was the sole black candidate and that was to simply satisfy the “Rooney Rule.” Did anyone really believe Lewis was a serious candidate? The closest the Cowboys ever came close to having a person of color as head coach was in 2007. Jim Caldwell, Mike Singletary, and Ron Rivera were all interviewed
Going back to the tweet this was Jerry’s response to one of the many questions he faced after the win against the Giants.
.”I didn’t know at the time the monumental event really that was going on,” Jones said. “I’m sure glad that we’re a long way from that. I am. That would remind me [to] just continue to do everything we can to not have those kinds of things happen.” Jones then went on to say his decisions are not based on race but are “business decisions.” He then pointed out how he has advised so many of his players using what he calls his skills and talents financially.
“I want it to work. I want it to work. I want it to work for my players. When I consult and am with them, I’m with them on a business basis,” “Where I’m going with this is that I’ve never thought about some of the issues that you want me to be, or about which you’re asking me to be, sensitive. My goal when I get up in the morning is to make it work. And I don’t care whether it’s you or you or you. Hell, we’ve got to make it work. That’s where I go. As far as who makes it work, what they look like, who makes it work, that has no place in my life. No place. It isn’t even thought about who makes it work.”
For me, that’s the Jerry Jones I know. He’s a master at what I call the “word salad,” response. It was the same type of response as his and the organization’s response to Black Lives Matter.
With the future of the current head coach still being debated, there are only three names that are top of mind to replace Mike McCarthy, if that happens next season. Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn the current coordinators and Sean Payton the former Saints head coach. Is there any serious person of color even being considered? Sure doesn’t look like it.
This also isn’t a surprise. The demographics in Dallas may show it’s a far more diverse place today than it was in 1989 when Jerry bought the Cowboys. However, when you look again at the movers and shakers from Jones to so many others, Dallas still has a very powerful group of highly conservative folks that can put their resources to use and have. The most recent election donations alone are proof of that. For as much as I love certain Ring of Honor and Pro Football Hall members who have worn the Star, they do appear to also be a large part of the “Good Old Boys,” network. It’s just the reality in Dallas. I make no assumptions about their personal views or actions, it’s the perception though, and as we all know perception can be the reality.
Do I agree with the tweet I used? Not completely. I do agree that the owner of the Dallas Cowboys can sure talk a good game, but when it comes to real changes those are lacking so badly. It simply comes down to the fact that the Cowboys once again are in the news for a bad reason. I cannot demand they hire a person of color as head coach, I can only hope if there’s a coaching search the best candidate does indeed get the job. Not just to satisfy the bad look Jerry has when it comes to race and hiring, but as the coach that could bring back to Dallas what the fanbase craves the most, a Lombardi Trophy. Only time will tell.
As always find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
