Why Jerry Jones Could Be Fined For His Halloween Costume

Jerry Jones is hoping the NFL turns a blind eye to his Halloween costume.

A photo making the rounds on social media shows the Dallas Cowboys owner dressed up as a "blind referee," according to NBC DFW. He's seen wearing a referee costume with sunglasses and a walking stick on his niece's Instagram. "Oh, yeah, I had the cane and everything! And I used it on some people, too," Jones told Sports Illustrated after Sunday's 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears. He added that the costume was "just layin' around somewhere" at the Cowboys HQ in Frisco.

"Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with the epic troll Halloween costume. A blind ref. Hope @nfl has a sense of humor," Cowboys writer Clarence Hill Jr. wrote on Twitter over the weekend.

Why would he hope the NFL has a sense of humor? In 2019, the NFL sent a notice to coaches and higher ups saying it doesn't allow criticism toward officials. "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," the notice said.

NBC DFW reports Jones' costume might fall under the criteria at the end of the NFL's statement. Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones shared his thoughts about the costume in a radio interview this week. "They have a very difficult job in real time. 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," he said.