Cowboys' Jerry Jones Says Giving Middle Finger to Fans in Video Was 'Inadvertent'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he meant to give a thumbs up, not a middle finger, in a viral video of him appearing to flip off fans in the stands at MetLife Stadium during Sunday's 37-22 Week 5 win over the New York Jets.

"That was unfortunate. That was kind of an exchange with our fans out in front of us," Jones said in a Tuesday appearance on 105.3 The Fan. "There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front— not Jets fans, Cowboys fans. The entire stadium was brimming with the enthusiasm of Cowboys, and certainly late in the game.

"That was inadvertent, on my part because that was right after we made our last touchdown. And we were all excited about it. There wasn't any antagonistic issue or anything like that. I just put up the wrong show of the hand, but that was inadvertently done... the intention was thumbs up, and then basically pointing at our fans."

Jones was reportedly fined $250,000 by the NFL for the gesture on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, who noted the owner may appeal the punishment.

The Cowboys' last touchdown on Sunday came when Dak Prescott found Javonte Williams on a short pass to put the game out of the Jets' reach with 4:31 left on the clock.

One angle of the incident appeared to show a fan showing Jones their middle finger before he responded with the same gesture.

Former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant shared the video on Sunday with the caption, "Quit playing with Mr. Jerry Jones."

Owners have received penalties from the NFL in the past for obscene gestures toward fans. The league fined late former Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 in 2009 for showing the middle finger to fans from his suite during a win.

More recently, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was fined $300,000 during the 2024 season after a video of him appearing to throw a drink toward fans went viral.

Jones' gesture came as the Cowboys improved to 2-2-1 while marking a low point for the Jets, which remain the only team in the NFL without a win so far in the 2025 season.

The Jets are also the first team in NFL history to start a season 0-5 without forcing a single turnover, per Reuters. The team ranks last in the NFL with a minus-8 turnover margin and 28th with a point differential of minus-45.

It remains to be seen if the league will levy a fine on Jones for his gesture.