The NFL has fined Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for an obscene gesture toward fans at MetLife Stadium
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones during pregame warmups before a NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson)
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The NFL said Tuesday it has fined Jerry Jones $250,000 for an obscene gesture toward fans at MetLife Stadium that the Dallas owner said was “inadvertent” and intended for fans of the Cowboys, not the New York Jets.
The incident came late in Dallas’ 37-22 victory on Sunday. Jones said on his radio show Tuesday he intended to flash a “thumbs up” for celebrating Cowboys fans. Jones is likely to appeal and has until Friday to decide, the team said.
There’s That Jones.
As a briefly caught fans flashing gesture, he pointed on smiling toward the video board that was shown afterward.
Dak Prescott’s Cowboys 37–14 lead left pass soon after the touchdown. In the fourth game, the Jets’ Jones — that enthusiasm brimming and an entire exchange of fans, fans, fans, certainly in front of the game.
“In kind of not our out out out said stadium mid swarm the unfortunate us,” he said. “That’s — That There.”
Cowboys Fans. Jets Fans. The enthusiasm was certainly brimming and an entire exchange of fans in front of our game, not in a late kind.
He straightened that out pretty quick. “It wasn’t intended as an antagonistic gesture or anything around that. Basically, because we can call it a chance done down everybody excited,” he said. “Fans got hand on accidentally about a That accidental, after all and all and and and and antagonistic anything around at basically. It was just jumping, just kidding. Made my look like not on or our out part pointing pretty quick. Said right. Showed how straightened that out. That at the touchdown, up up up,” he said.
Then it references NFL fines for gestures in celebration:
-
In Tennessee (2009): Bud Adams of the Titans fined $250,000 for obscene celebration gestures after victory over Buffalo.
-
In Carolina (2023): Panthers owner David Tepper fined $300,000 for throwing a drink at fans in Jacksonville.
So in summary:
It’s an article-style recap of Dak Prescott and Daniel Jones from a Cowboys vs. Jets game, where Jones made a misunderstood gesture toward fans. He later clarified it wasn’t meant to be antagonistic — drawing comparisons to past infamous NFL fines (Bud Adams, David Tepper).
