NFL Owner Fined $250,000 For Alleged Obscene Gesture

The NFL has fined Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for allegedly making an obscene gesture at MetLife Stadium following his team’s victory against the New York Jets.

Jones said the gesture was “inadvertent” and meant to be a thumbs up.

“The NFL fined #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for giving the middle finger to fans on Sunday,” NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero said.

The NFL fined #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones $250,000 for giving the middle finger to fans on Sunday.https://t.co/BRv5ejlW9g

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 7, 2025

Watch for yourself in the footage below:

Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on giving the middle finger during Sunday’s game in New Jersey: “That was unfortunate. There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out front. It was right after we made our last touchdown. I put up the wrong show of hand. The intention was thumbs up.” pic.twitter.com/3QS6ZkD4B1

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 7, 2025

Here’s a backup:

Imagine how bad life is as a Jets fan, now imagine getting flipped off by Jerry Jones AT MetLife pic.twitter.com/yFuXDLM9pY

— Old Row Sports (@OldRowSports) October 7, 2025

More from CNN:

In a video which was widely shared on social media, Jones could be seen giving a thumbs-up to the crowd from a box before raising his middle finger and pointing lower in the crowd while mouthing a few indiscernible words. The gesture occurred late in the Cowboys’ 37-22 road win over the Jets.

Jones has until Friday to appeal the decision and, though neither the Cowboys nor Jones have yet formally done so, it is likely he will, according to Pelissero.

“There was a swarm of Cowboys fans out in front — not Jets fans, Cowboys fans. The entire stadium was brimming with enthusiasm of Cowboys and certainly late in the game,” Jones said, according to NBC News.

Jerry Jones appears to flip off Jets fans during Cowboys’ blowout win https://t.co/GerPT1Lqsm pic.twitter.com/xwa3D1ofhw

— New York Post (@nypost) October 6, 2025

NBC News shared additional comments:

“(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. “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.”

Late in the 2024 season, the NFL fined Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper for throwing a drink at fans in Jacksonville.