Cowboys: Jerry Jones voted in favor of controversial TNF rule
Few topics have caused as much controversy in the NFL as Thursday Night Football. The latest news around the league is bound to take that to a whole new level. On Wednesday, owners voted on the possibility of teams playing on TNF twice in the same season. Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the change was […]
Few topics have caused as much controversy in the NFL as Thursday Night Football. The latest news around the league is bound to take that to a whole new level. On Wednesday, owners voted on the possibility of teams playing on TNF twice in the same season.
Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the change was approved. To be clear, the rule permits teams to play on a short week twice in the same league year.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones voted in favor of the proposal, per USA Today's Jori Epstein.
The decision has faced major backlash from some of the most important players in the league, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Since TNF was installed in the league's programming, players around the league have complained about having to play on short rest. Many around the sport argue that football, a punishing sport by nature, isn't supposed to be played within four days.
At a minimum, that is a logical argument. After all, the league is supposed to be concerned about player safety first and foremost.
But you know what also is a logical argument in the eyes of those running the sport?
Money.
Whether it's through an expanded 17-game schedule or two TNF games per season, money will prove to win the battle over player safety any day of the week.
And Amazon – who owns the rights to the weekly primetime timeslot – has plenty of it. Like a lot. They pay $1 billion a year for the rights to the games. Obviously, they want a product that their very own commentators don't make fun of on air.
If that means banged-up players miss the game or maybe even risk re-injury, so be it!
It's disappointing as much as it is unsurprising. And that's not all.
Next up could be the decision to "flex" Sunday games to TNF. League owners tabled the decision until later in the year.
We have a strong idea about what will Cowboys owner Jerry Jones vote on that one, too.
