Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has apologized for a racially insensitive comment from four years ago that surfaced this week.
“That comment was inappropriate,” Jones said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s not who I am, and I’m sorry.”
Gossip website theblast.com posted the 2013 video of Jones at the Warwick Melrose Hotel in Dallas after a man with a smart phone asked the Cowboys owner to offer congratulations to his fiancee.
“Jennifer, congratulations on the wedding. Now, you know he’s with a black girl tonight, don’t you?” Jones said, looking into the camera and laughing.
Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders defended Jones.
“I won’t cast judgment on one moment when a joke went south, to capture who this man represents in a lifetime commitment of love and compassion to all ethnicities,” Sanders said, via Hill. “He has gone beyond the call of duty of being an NFL owner for people of all ethnicities and backgrounds, and I know this to be a fact. A joke that was intended to add humor at the request of a fan in a light-hearted moment was taken totally out of intent. I’m sorry we’re in this state of mind as a country, but if you’re looking for a racist, Jerry Jones is not that guy.”