Cowboys' Jerry Jones Won't Appeal NFL Fine for Giving Fans Middle Finger on Video

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones won't appeal the $250,000 fine he received from the NFL for recently giving fans the middle finger, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.

Per Watkins, Jones' decision not to appeal the fine was because the fine money will be donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation to support former players in need as well as the NFL Foundation to support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels.

The incident occurred during the Cowboys' 37-22 win over the New York Jets in Week 5, as Jones was seen on video making the gesture.

He later explained that it was unintentional and he was interacting with Cowboys fans on the road at MetLife Stadium.

"[The gesture] was inadvertent on my part because that was right after we made our last touchdown, and we were all excited about it," Jones said during a radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (h/t ESPN's Todd Archer). "There wasn't any antagonistic issue or anything like that. I just put up the wrong show on the hand. That was inadvertently done. I'm not kidding. If you want to call it accidental, you can call it accidental. But it got straightened around pretty quick. I had a chance to look at it."

"It got straightened out pretty quick, but the intention was 'thumbs up,' and basically pointing at our fans because everybody was jumping up and down excited," he added.

Jones isn't the first NFL owner to face a fine for giving the middle finger, as late Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for the same gesture during the 2009 season.

As for the Cowboys, the win over the Jets brought them to 2-2-1 on the year as they look to return to the playoffs following a disappointing 7-10 finish in 2024.