Never a dull moment for the Dallas Cowboys.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones admittedly likes it that way but even he is likely shuddering in the wake of the latest scandal.
ESPN’s story Wednesday that details a lawsuit by four Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over sexual misconduct allegations against former Cowboys public relations chief Rich Dalrymple has ignited a massive backlash on social media, as you’d probably expect.
But the disgust is not just aimed at Dalrymple. Jones was already at the center of a gathering controversy with head coach Mike McCarthy after McCarthy discussed his relationship with Jones on Rich Eisen’s radio show on Tuesday.
That story, in which McCarthy candidly described the unique position of working for Jones, was already under the collar of many Cowboys fans, many wondering if Jones’ style of management was capable of producing a Super Bowl title.
But then ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. published his story less than 24 hours later. He reports the Cowboys paid a combined $2.4 million to four cheerleaders, who allege Dalrymple walked in on their locker room at AT&T Stadium while they were dressing and accused him of filming them on his iPhone from behind a partial wall in their locker room.
Dalrymple denies the allegations. He retired after 32 seasons on Feb. 2.
Many fans on social media have called for the NFL to push Jones out as Cowboys owner. That’s not going to happen, of course.
“The Cowboys keep taking Ls even in the off-season,” posted one fan on Twitter.
Another said the “Dallas Cowboys are the gift that keeps on giving for news media all year long.”
There’s no question about that.
I’m old enough to remember when the Jerry Jones/Mike McCarthy conflict was going to be the big story about the Cowboys for the foreseeable future.