Jerry Jones is not ready to write a $500,000 check without a fight.
The Cowboys owner said Thursday that Dallas will appeal the NFL's fine for unsportsmanlike behavior at Tuesday's joint practice with the New Orleans Saints in Oxnard - a penalty that also hit New Orleans for the same amount, according to NFL.com and the Associated Press.
Jones called the league's punishment "pretty stiff" but said he understood why the NFL came down hard after a session filled with punches, helmet-tossing and ejections. He also made clear the club will add its own consequences: the Cowboys plan to fine players involved in the scrapes, AP reported.
From memo to money
NFL.com published the league's statement confirming the matching $500,000 fines. The Competition Committee, the NFL said, has emphasized sportsmanship at joint practices for several years. Clubs were reminded by a pre-camp memo of their duty to prevent behavior that risks injury - a warning that framed Thursday's announcement.
AP reported that the league asked for video of the Oxnard workout before issuing the fines. That request matters because joint practices are not televised like games; the league reconstructed the chaos from club footage and then attached a six-figure price to what it saw.
Coaches Brian Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore nearly shut the practice down early after repeated post-whistle skirmishes, both outlets reported.
The flashpoints AP documented
Among the incidents AP detailed: Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner body-slammed Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson in a move AP likened to Rechsteiner's father, pro wrestler Scott Steiner; Saints center Erik McCoy flung a Cowboys helmet skyward; and McCoy traded punches with Cowboys linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku before Ezeiruaku was thrown out of practice for the second time this camp.
