Jerry Jones not backing away from comments

Can you fine a guy a second time for commenting about why he got fined in the first place?

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, fined by the NFL for breaking its gag order about commenting on Collective Bargaining Agreement issues, defended his original comments to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

“If my comments in Minnesota were viewed as being over the line, then so be it,” Jones said/ “The comments were made in an effort to assist a fellow owner and his team’s pursuit of bringing a new stadium to the fans of the Twin Cities. Having just completed the process of stadium construction and knowing how much it means to an NFL market, this is something that I would do for any of my ownership partners. It just goes to show how intertwined labor issues are with the construction of new stadiums — from a positive perspective.”

Jones’ statement actually does clarify his initial comments that the league is “subsidizing” the Minnesota market. His point, it seems, is that a new stadium will allow the Vikings to become more profitable and better able to generate revenue instead of, as Jones said initially having “teams like Kansas City and Green Bay subsidize the market.”