Why Jerry Jones could be fined for ‘blind referee' Halloween costume

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Recapping some of the best games in week 8 of the 2022 NFL season.

Jerry Jones could pay the price for his Halloween costume this year.

The Dallas Cowboys owner went viral for dressing up as a “blind referee” over the weekend. A photo of the outfit, complete with sunglasses and a walking stick, was posted on his niece’s Instagram.

“Oh yeah, I had the cane and everything,” Jones told Sports Illustrated on Sunday. “And I used it on some people, too.”

While Jones and other people on social media may have found it amusing, the NFL might not find it so funny.

The league sent a memo to coaches, general managers, team presidents and chiefs executive in October 2019 stating that it prohibits the following types of criticism towards officials (via ProFootballTalk):

“Comments regarding the quality of officiating, individual calls or missed calls, the League’s officiating department, an officiating crew, or an individual game official; [a]ccusing game officials of acting with bias or in any way questioning the integrity of NFL game officials; or [p]osting negative or derogatory/demeaning content pertaining to officiating on social media.”

Jones’ costume could certainly fall under the last criteria there. The NFL doesn’t have a strong history of taking a “lighten up” approach – see the unsportsmanlike conduct call on D.J. Moore at the end of Sunday’s Panthers-Falcons game – but Jones’ son hopes the league shows a sense of humor.

“They have a very difficult job in real time,” Stephen Jones told “The K&C Masterpiece” on Monday. “I do think they understand you can have some humor with this stuff, but I can’t imagine they don’t think there’s nothing but respect that comes out of the Cowboys organization in terms of how difficult their job is and what a good job they do, as well.”

The Joneses didn’t have much to complain about on Sunday, as their team rolled past the Chicago Bears by a final score of 49-29. 

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