In the lead-up to one of the most controversial halftime shows in NFL history, the Bad Bunny extravaganza, there was online speculation that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was not happy.
That speculation is wrong, as months ago, Jones’ daughter, Charlotte, a Cowboys vice president and a club spokesperson, appeared on a podcast and described the choice of Bad Bunny as “amazing.”
And now, Dallas is one of 32 NFL teams cashing in by peddling Bad Bunny merchandise. So count Charlotte Jones’ pre-Super Bowl comments as fortunate.
Speaking of Dallas, how does a George Pickens for Maxx Crosby swap sound, other than far-fetched? But it sounds fun enough that one person mentioning it made some headlines. Here is the view from The Star, which appears here.
What do the Jones’ think of Bad Bunny?
The NFL, and of course the Dallas Cowboys, never miss a chance to make a buck and now they are cashing in on the much-talked-about halftime Super Bowl show with Bad Bunny.
The league, and by extension all 32 teams, now have a Bad Bunny x Super Tazón collection of merchandise, per description, a “limited-edition, streetwear-focused collaboration released for Super Bowl LX (Benito Bowl). Featuring the ‘Super Tazón’ and ‘Concho’ collections, it includes apparel for all 32 teams, hoodies, tees, track jackets, and plushies with bold graphics, featuring his “Concho” mascot.”
The lineup features graphic tees, hoodies, track jackets, and hats designed in collaboration with Ceremony of Roses and New Era, Mitchell & Ness.
While the selection of Bad Bunny as the halftime entertainment sparked a wave of controversy and criticism, the Dallas Cowboys were in from the start. Back in November, Jerry Jones’ daughter Charlotte, vice president with a bunch of titles including chief brand officer, appeared on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of Donald Trump’s homeland security advisor Stephen Miller.
That’s an unusual place to hear a full-throated endorsement of Bad Bunny, but here you go.
“I think it’s awesome,” Jones said. “And I think our Latina fan base is amazing. And I think when you think about the Super Bowl, you want the No. 1 performer in the world to be there. We’re on a global stage, and we can’t ever forget that.
“Our game goes out to everybody around the world, and to get the premier entertainer to want to be a part of our game, I think is amazing. And I think that we have a mixed culture. I mean, our whole society is based on immigrants that have come here and founded our country. And I think we can celebrate that. And I think the show’s gonna be amazing.”
Katie Miller pushed back a bit, pointing out Bad Bunny’s criticism of Trump, but Jones marched on.
“Yeah, I don’t think our game’s about politics,” Jones said. “I don’t think people tune in to look at politics. We do everything we can to avoid politics. And I think in that moment that people will be watching the game, they’ll be celebrating music, and nobody will be thinking about what’s comments on the left side, what comments on the right side, that this is about bringing people together.”
While online blog reports surfaced that Jerry Jones threatened a “boycott” of the Super Bowl (whatever that would look like), they were debunked.
As for the merch, the NFL collection is here, the Cowboys collection is here.
What does Jerry Jones think about himself?
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sat down for an interview with the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins and served up some introspective comments about himself that amounted to criticism. After 30 years without an appearance in a conference title game, Jones seems to be pointing a finger at himself.
Touching on the hiring process that led to the hiring of Christian Parker as defensive coordinator, a 34-year-old with no coordinating experience and only seven years of NFL experience, Jones said the hire represented a new direction in his thinking.
Much more was left to coach Brian Schottenheimer and Dallas eventually interviewed 10 candidates, many more than the handful the Cowboys normally interview for such big jobs.
Jones explained it like this to the Dallas Morning News: “When you’re set up the way I am, that old mirror, that self-evaluation really is appropriate and has to be done. My way of doing things doesn’t work if I don’t change. I’m not successful, then I haven’t (changed). There’s no other way.”
Jones summed it up like this: “Well, how we’ve been doing it, hadn’t hit the mark. Let’s operate on a little different basis.”
George Pickens for Maxx Crosby?
One of the wilder suggestions to come out of Super Bowl week came from retired cornerback Jason McCourty, who won Super Bowl LIII with the New England Patriots and now is trying his hand at punditry.
He certainly has a knack for generating conversation. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, McCourty came up with a trade idea. Dallas trades the Las Vegas Raiders receiver George Pickens to pair with presumed No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, and the Raiders trade disgruntled edge rusher Maxx Crosby to Dallas.
McCourty said, “You’re going to ask me to play Madden with no consequences? I’m going for the jugular. If I’m the Raiders, why not go out and trade Maxx Crosby? And for the Dallas Cowboys, you franchise tag George Pickens. You don’t work out a long-term deal. You trade him to the Raiders. Get Crosby in exchange. Now you’ve just beefed up your defensive line. New coordinator coming over. Maxx Crosby is going to make everybody on the defensive side of the ball better.
“And on top of that, have you watched the way Maxx Crosby plays the game of football? Yes. He plays every single play of the game. And for the Raiders, you get a weapon in George Pickens. Fernando Mendoza, you need some weapons on the outside? Well, you got one. You got a dog out there in George Pickens.”
This is quite unlikely, as Dallas has said they want to keep Pickens and there are other ways to get Crosby, such as the No. 20 pick in the upcoming draft, but give McCourty credit for creativity.
Dallas Cowboys practice facility
The Dallas Cowboys practice in Frisco (a far North Dallas exurb) at their facility called The Star. It seats 12,000 and hosts other events, such as the Conference USA basketball tournament for a few years and the high school game in 2019 between El Paso Eastwood and Plano in the immediate aftermath of El Paso’s Wal-Mart shooting. It also has an Omni Hotel on its campus.
The Star broke ground in 2014 then opened in 2016 at an estimated construction cost of $1.5 million.
Worth noting, the city of Frisco, which is corporate home to the Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars and FC Dallas as well as home to the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate, has grown dramatically in the last 30 years to its current population of about 240,000.
In 1992, it was only high school, Frisco High, then Class 3A, that felt compelled to change its nickname, adding two letters to the front to get to its current name, the Frisco Racoons.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dallas Cowboys news: So what did the Jones’ think of Bad Bunny?
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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