Three Dallas radio hosts who experienced the wrath of Jerry Jones this week said the Cowboys owner took an all-time loss when he appeared to threaten their jobs during his on-air meltdown Tuesday.
During Thursday’s installment of “Shan & RJ” on 105.3 The Fan, radio personality Bobby Belt explained that Jones’ outburst over a line of questioning about the Cowboys’ quiet offseason made him look like “a little man,” while co-host Shan Shariff said the 82-year-old owner took a major L by “threatening” their livelihood.
“I think he wanted to come at it like, oh, let me show my passion… I think he legitimately got mad and then he kinda snapped,” Belt said while recalling the tense situation. “Because here’s the thing, I think there are a couple of areas where there is showman Jerry and then there is genuinely upset Jerry. And I don’t think there is much that genuinely upsets him, but there’s a few things.
“And one of those things I think is… clearly over the course of his relationship with Jimmy Johnson and everything else — I don’t think he likes his importance being diminished. He doesn’t like having that happen… It was universally received as what a little man… I can’t imagine he wanted that, but I think he just got angry and snapped and it was received poorly. It was dominant, what Jerry said, and I don’t think he anticipated that.”
Shariff explained that he was bombarded with calls and texts after the fiery Jones interview.
“So he went in trying to be tough toned but still snapped within that, that’s probably what happened… because what he did with the threatening part is an all-time bad loss for him with the way it was received,” Shariff said.
“I had people in the business calling me (Tuesday), saying you need to contact an employment attorney, you need to get representation.”
Jones’ blowup came two days after the Cowboys got whooped by the Lions at home, 47-9, with the blowout loss occurring on his 82nd birthday.
He told the hosts, “Your job isn’t to let me go over all the reasons that I did something… that’s not your job. I’ll get somebody else to ask these questions. I’m not kidding.”
Shariff and Choppy described the interaction as “cringey” among other descriptors.
“It got cringey for me. It got uncomfortable,” Shariff said “The belittling, the bullying, cutting us off, the threat that was in there as well. It sounded even worse listening back.”
Choppy added, “It got cringey, it did. There’s no doubt about it.”
Shariff also explained he was “floored” by Jones’ comment after the incident when he told The Athletic that he won’t be grilled “by the guys I’m paying.”
It seemingly implied that Jones owns the station, 105.3 The Fan.
Shariff vehemently denied that Jones pays the hosts.
“For damn sure it’s a fact that I don’t get paid or compensated by Jerry Jones, which I would love to be,” Shariff said. “Audacy signs my checks… I don’t want to get too much into station business and affairs.
“A lot of times though with teams, the financial arrangement is we get Jerry and [head coach Mike] McCarthy and a player show and all that; the team gets the commercial inventory when the games are aired. So there’s no exchange of monies.”
The Cowboys owner added that he was sick over the team’s embarrassing loss to the Lions.
Choppy also claimed he received job offers after the viral Jones interview.
Jones has been under pressure after the Cowboys were quiet during the offseason — and then waited until the last minute to extend quarterback Dak Prescott and star wideout CeeDee Lamb.
The Cowboys (3-3) have a bye week before facing the 49ers (3-3) in San Francisco on Oct. 27.
