"Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year" - Jerry Jones bluntly admits stirring up "controversy" to keep America’s Team in spotlight

Premiere Of Netflix
Premiere Of Netflix's "America's Team: The Gambler And His Cowboys" - Source: Getty

Ever since the Dallas Cowboys' 1990s dynasty ended in 1996, Jerry Jones has been receiving much criticism, mainly for failing to return the franchise to the NFC Championship Game, let alone the Super Bowl, but also for turning normally straightforward contract negotiations into media circuses. However, he admittedly could not care less about the negativity that he attracts.

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During the premiere event of the Netflix docuseries America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, the octogenarian owner said:

“The Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year. When it gets slow, I stir it up… There is controversy. That controversy is good stuff in terms of keeping and having people’s attention.”
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The latest controversy involves star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who has been wanting a monstrous extension as he begins the final year of his rookie contract. Earlier this month, the multiple-time All-Pro/Pro Bowler had requested a trade out of the organization, expressing his frustration at the dithering and resulting media narratives.

Also on Wednesday, he refused to address the issue with the media further, merely saying:

"My mouth is closed."
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Jerry Jones discusses cancer treatment; head coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts

Over the past three decades and counting, Jerry Jones has been a very busy man. While he managed to stay relatively healthy in the 1990s and 2000s, something threatened his life beginning in 2010: melanoma.

However, the ordeal remained a well-kept secret until the release of America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys. And he managed to survive thanks to an experimental drug. During final practice on Wednesday, he said:

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“Well, you don’t like to think about your mortality, but I was so fortunate to have some great people that sent me in the right direction. I got to be part of a trial that was propitious. It really worked.”

Meanwhile, new-for-2025 head coach Brian Schottenheimer praised such a public revelation of "an amazing story":

“I’m glad that Jerry shared it, just because I think it gives people hope. It gives people the strength to say … ‘Hey, you can beat this.’”
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He also discussed his own thyroid cancer diagnosis and surgery over two decades ago in 2003:

“It doesn’t discriminate against anybody. And mine was certainly less serious, but I was 28... Nothing like Stage 4, nothing like what Jerry and other people have to go through. But you hear that word ‘cancer,’ and it scares the hell out of you.”

Schottenheimer will officially begin his tenure when the Cowboys visit the Philadelphia Eagles on September 4. Kickoff is at 8:20 pm ET on NBC.

Dallas Cowboys Fans! Check out the latest Cowboys Schedule and dive into the Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Andre Castillo
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