FRISCO, Texas — "Are Jerry Jones' fan tours a hurdle to a Cowboys Super Bowl?"
What a phenomenal question for more Cowboys banter.
In a thorough article published Wednesday by ESPN, more former players have come out and referenced the tours as "like a zoo" and pointed to them as a noted difference in culture from other NFL teams. The topic first came about in March when former Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz told the Pat McAfee Show the Cowboys' facility was "literally a zoo," because fans tapped on the glass walls of the weight room to get the players' attention while they were inside working out.
A screenshot of the ESPN article where the responses of many former players who spoke out alongside Schultz went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter. Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons fired back at the comments, calling them "bullsh**". Former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci said "I’ll never forget when I would work out on Tuesday mornings and have people tapping on the weight room glass like I was supposed to do something cool on command 🤣 Definitely a different business structure inside the Star."
Jones, who was also quoted in the article, told ESPN he has never had a staff member or player complain about the tours to him.
"Not one time," he told ESPN, "but the most important thing is it wouldn't make any difference. Period. Because overall, they're swimming against the stream."
The article notes Packers' tours of Lambeau Field "intentionally steer clear of player areas in the stadium," and the Chargers invited fans to an open house of their new facility, but it took place in July before players report for training camp.
In Dallas, Jones embraces the ideology of promoting the Cowboys in any way he can. That includes these tours or his own weekly interview on 105.3 The Fan, which commonly makes headlines as it did the past two weeks.
Jones told ESPN he thinks "the fan presence inside the facility inspires his players and staff, while also growing the interest in the team by fostering a closeness with fans."
Multiple former players who spoke with ESPN describe the tours as a distraction that is potentially holding the Cowboys back.
"I'm smiling ... when I walk in the building here, I just know, like, I just have work," said six-year Cowboys defensive end Dorance Armstrong of his new team, the Washington Commanders.
"This is more about football, just X's and O's," running back Tony Pollard said about his new team, the Tennessee Titans. "I'm in a better place mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, just all around."
"Over here [Kansas City] ... the point is the football and winning championships," cornerback Kelvin Joseph said. "There [in Dallas], it was a lot of football and like, other stuff."
"You got real facilities here," defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. told ESPN. "You might not see tourists coming around, but it keeps the main thing the main thing."
The tours, which are a cash cow to the tune of $10 million annually, according to ESPN, aren't "big enough," Jones said.
"I'd love to see cameras in the tour going to 20 million people while the people were making the tours and hearing the same thing," Jones told ESPN. "And then while they're coming down the hall, I'd love to see a coach talking to a player as he walked away from a meeting, talking about a player walking right through."
The tours commonly come within feet of these players as they walk by in the facility, according to the article, as fans marvel at the sight of them.
To read the full ESPN article, click here.
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