The past 48 hours haven’t been kind to Jerry Jones.
First, the Dallas Cowboys owner saw his team embarrassed on Thursday Night Football against a shorthanded, inferior Bears team. On Friday morning, Jones was subsequently bumped from a radio spot after continuously cursing on air.
Now, Jones is being accused of tampering and attempting to sabotage the Jets’ relationship with Jamal Adams, by none other than ex-Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason.
Esiason appeared on the Flight Deck Podcast with ESPN’s Rich Cimini and flat out accused Jones of attempting to tamper with multiple safeties. Not just Adams, but Earl Thomas too.
“I don’t trust Jerry Jones,” Esiason said. “He recruits players that are under contract with other teams by leaking potential trades to the media. That’s just plain wrong. He did it with Earl Thomas when he was with the Seattle Seahawks and I believe he did it with Jamal Adams and the Jets. It put the Seahawks and the Jets in a bad spot. Then the players react because they’re emotional and they don’t get it. Suddenly social media is all over them.”
Esiason accused Jones of leaking reports that the Jets were shopping Adams to the media. The Jets have said that they were merely listening to offers, which reportedly included ones from the Cowboys. With that information in circulation, Adams became upset and took to social media to show his displeasure. The Jets were forced to do damage control and have now since amended a strained relationship.
If what Esiason is asserting is correct, the NFL may have to investigate his claims.
This is what the current NFL policy on anti-tampering is:
“The purpose of the NFL Anti-Tampering Policy, as it applies to tampering with players, is to protect member clubs’ contract and negotiating rights, and, at the same time, to allow the intra-League competitive systems devised for the acquisition and retention of player talent (e.g., college draft, waiver system, free-agent rules under an operative collective bargaining agreement) to operate efficiently.”
The last time the NFL cracked down on tampering was back in 2015. The NFL disciplined the Kanas City Chiefs for a violation of the Anti-Tampering Policy relating to improper contact during the 2015 “Negotiating Period” with prospective unrestricted free agent Jeremy Maclin, then under contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Because of those impermissible contacts, Kansas City forfeited its third-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft and its sixth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft and paid a fine of $250,000. In addition, head coach Andy Reid was fined $75,000, while GM John Dorsey was fined $25,000.
A similar penalty could be on the horizon for Jones if the NFL is looking to make an example out of him.