Denton readers following Jerry Jones's camp remarks got a clear message Thursday: the Cowboys intend to contest the league's $500,000 fine. The dollar figure is settled in the public record: $500,000 for Dallas, $500,000 for New Orleans. frisco.city's reporting on the fine, those matching penalties followed Tuesday's joint practice fights in Oxnard, with NFL.com and the Associated Press publishing the league's statement.
Fox 4 also covered the matching fines in local television reporting that aligned with the AP and NFL.com accounts. Joint practices sit outside a full broadcast truck setup, which is why the league's video request, as AP described it, mattered to the review.
Appeal and internal consequences
Jerry Jones called the fine "pretty stiff" and said the Cowboys will appeal, according to AP. He also said the club intends to fine players involved in the scrapes and indicated linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku is among them. Jones framed the size of the penalty as the league making a serious point about sportsmanship — language AP attributed to his Thursday remarks in Oxnard.
He said taking helmets off and swinging or hitting "is not good for anybody." He added that whether on the field or in society, ignoring consequences of behavior will "bring you to your knees pretty quick," per AP.
AP's account of the melee
AP's account listed punches in multiple skirmishes, Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner's body slam of safety Jalen Thompson, Saints center Erik McCoy tossing a Cowboys helmet skyward, and the McCoy-Ezeiruaku punch exchange that ended with Ezeiruaku's ejection (his second of camp). Schottenheimer and Moore nearly shut the practice down early.
Schottenheimer said, "Unfortunately we didn't handle that very well today," after describing a chippy session; Moore acknowledged "non-football stuff."
