Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is talking publicly for the first time since a secretly recorded video of him went viral on the Web on Tuesday.
On the tape, which was published on Deadspin.com, Jones was overheard saying — among other things — that Bill Parcells was hired as head coach to help him get Cowboys Stadium built in Arlington.
Jones said he was just having fun, telling reporters he "could tell by the tone in [his] voice and by the humor that [he] was doing it with, that [he] was putting some folks on and having a little fun."
Jones went on to say it is unfortunate if his remarks were interpreted as disrespectful.
"It just didn't happen that way," Jones said. "That wasn't the scene; that wasn't the context that it was meant in. Frankly, I could tell by the tone in my voice and by the humor that I was doing it with, that I was putting some folks on, and having a little fun the way I would under any circumstances there."
Jones also said that he has reached out to Bill Parcells, and he said the two still have a very strong relationship. He said he thinks very highly of the former coach, and is appreciative of the time Parcells spent in Dallas.
"The one thing I can assure any of our fans about is the way I feel about him as a coach, which is special," Jones said. "I think he's a great coach — not a good coach, a great coach — and certainly, any way that I would reflect upon him was in a way that would have bettered the Dallas Cowboys, bettered our franchise, has bettered any of our goals, and he did that."
E-mail amcnew@wfaa.com
