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[jerry jones to tmz.com: 'when we're not practicing, we entertain a lot'
oxnard, calif. cowboys owner jerry jones was caught leaving a chinese restaurant in beverly hills on friday night and asked about his sons recent bus trip to a sunset strip nightclub.
A tmz.com reporter caught up with jones as he and his wife, gene, exited mr chow.
With jones struggling to identify his car, the tmz reporter asked, is that a common thing, socialization between referees and team executives?
really i wouldnt want to comment on that, jones said, but i can say this, our officiating is probably as, ill say its as great as its ever been in my 25 years in the nfl.
on tuesday night, cowboys executive vice president stephen jones was shown in a tmz.com video entering a nightclub named bootsy bellows along with other cowboys executives and dean blandino, the nfl vice president of officiating.
The tmz reporter asked, a couple of days ago the team bus ended up in front of a big club, have you talked to stephen about where he can take the team bus around town?
well, one of the things we do, when were not practicing, we entertain a lot, jones said. we have a lot of our clients and their guests and thats just a part of our entertainment with the cowboys.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20140809-jerry-jones-to-tmz.com-when-we-re-not-practicing-we-entertain-a-lot.ece
b]silence by cowboys, nfl on stephen jones' night out with vp of officiating doesn't look good
[/B]
oxnard, calif. all stephen jones wanted was to get away from training camp for a few hours and enjoy what los angeles has to offer. It made sense to make the 62-mile trip on the cowboys bus.
By now, the teams executive vice president knows what it feels like to be thrown under the bus.
Jones isnt the first person to create a stir on the sunset strip. He wont be the last. But this excursion to a nightclub named bootsy bellows became a made-for-tmz event with unexpected ramifications.
The sight of stephen jones, his brother jerry jr. And others stepping off and back aboard the bus to soak in hollywood is preserved for posterity.
These images will elicit different responses from different people. But theres another image that creates an issue for the nfl.
One of the travel companions with jones on tuesday evening was dean blandino, the nfl vice president of officiating.
Lets get this out of the way right now. Dont believe cries from unnamed club officials around the nfl who allege this somehow gives the cowboys a competitive advantage or indicates favoritism. Part of blandinos job is to develop relationships with owners, club officials, coaches and members of the influential competition committee.
Did we mention that stephen jones is on the competition committee?
This is where it gets sticky. Jones and blandino are respected throughout the league. No one has come close to suggesting the professional ethics of either should be called into question.
But the appearance of impropriety doesnt require impropriety to take place. This doesnt play well in the public arena, and the cowboys competitors are only too happy to snipe from the weeds and raise doubts.
Appearances matter. If not, why does the nfl penalize players for dunking the ball over the goal posts after a touchdown? How can a league that fines players for minor uniform infractions ignore this boys night out among two people in a position of influence?
Hypocrisy is another behavior that doesnt play well in the public arena.
Nfl officials have chosen not to comment but indicate no one has lodged a complaint over the episode. Jones has also declined to comment at this time.
Again, its not unusual for blandino to discuss business and get to know officials from around the league in social settings. This is how the nfl and other businesses operate.
It turns out blandino didnt even spend much time on the cowboys high-profile ride known as the elegant lady. sources say he met jones and others at a restaurant two or three blocks away, hopped on the bus for a quick ride to the nightclub and left a short time later by cab.
Does that sound like a league official cavorting with jones on the sunset strip for the paparazzi? Does that sound like two people who checked their professional integrity at the door of the cowboys bus?
The nfl and the cowboys refuse to discuss what took place between jones and blandino on tuesday because they believe theres nothing to discuss. They consider it a non-story.
But this is a story. The problem is they have let the narrative get away from them by staying silent. They have allowed a negative perception to mushroom.
How long will this be a topic of conversation? Probably not long. Other juicy issues will quickly push their way to the forefront. This bus ride will be nothing more than an amusing blip on the entertainment screen in a few days.
But for now, it doesnt look good.
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