Jerry Jones was recently put on blast after a photo from 1957 resurfaced. The troublesome photo shows 14-year-old Jones among a group of white young men protesting against desegregation at an Arkansas school. The Black students went on to be known as the “Little Rock Nine,” and West eventually grew up to be the Dallas Cowboys owner.
“I’m pretty pissed off. I’m pissed off but not for reasons people think. I am very, very fond of Jerry Jones, and I’m not hiding that from anybody. Is his record perfect? No, but I’m pissed off because he doesn’t deserve what just happened. He doesn’t deserve it. One report, our report, said he was 14 years old. Another report said he was 15 years old. At minimum that’s 65 years ago,” shared Stephen A. Smith in an on-air statement.
Yes, the photo was taken 65 years ago, on Sept. 9, 1957, to be exact, at North Little Rock High in Arkansas. And yes, that really was Jerry Jones pictured in the photo with his friends. But Stephen A. went on to deflect by accusing reporters who released the photo of “making an attempt” to bring “cancel culture” onto Jones – who, btw, has never hired a Black coach.
“You’re making an attempt to eradicate him,” he continued. “By the way, I don’t have a problem with a photo. If he was 30, 35, 40 years old, that’s different. 14, 15 years old…We’re gonna lean on somebody was he was 14, born and raised in the south? And we gonna pick it up 66 years later, to say, ‘You know something, you ain’t hire a Black coach.’ I think that’s pretty low. … If he were an adult, that would be different.”
Eventually, not too long after the publication of the photos were released, Jones attempted to clear the air.
“I was there because I was curious about what was going on. I didn’t know at the time the monumental event that was going on. 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 said, per ESPN.
Ernest Green, a Little Rock Nine member, went on CNN to share his thoughts on the situation with Jones.
“My view is that Jones has an opportunity to make that picture have a different ending by pursuing diversity and inclusion and involvement of the African-American community, and people of color all throughout this country,” he said. “Dallas Cowboys is an institution most Americans know something about. Professional football is an entity that everybody has some interest in, and I think that rather than talk[ing] to Jerry about what happened in 1957 let’s go forward and see what we can do this year.”
Urban Magazine family, what are your thoughts? Should Jerry Jones be canceled, or should we pardon his actions from decades ago?
