Jerry Jones has been known to like Donald Trump. And when the incumbent US President was inaugurated for the second time on Monday, the $17.2 billion-worth team owner (per Forbes) reportedly donated to the event.
A spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the Dallas Cowboys owner had donated to the inauguration committee. While most of the exact amounts are not expected to be revealed until spring, the event is estimated to have cost anywhere between $200 and 250 million (per Athlon Sports).
He is not the only prominent Dallas sports figure to have backed Trump during the 2024 election. Miriam Adelson, who has owned the Dallas Mavericks since late 2023, also reportedly gave a significant donation.
Nor was he the only prominent NFL figure involved with the inauguration. Cameras also caught his New York Jets counterpart Woody Johnson present. Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and controversial wide receiver Antonio Brown were also in attendance, both men having expressed their support for the Republican in the lead-up to the election.
In other football-related matters, fan outrage ensued when a message from Trump aired during halftime of the CFP Championship Game, which Ohio State won 34-23. Meanwhile, an Alabama fan interrupted C-SPAN’s coverage of the inauguration to voice his frustration over the Crimson Tide’s exclusion from the playoffs.
This is not the first time Jerry Jones has significantly donated to Donald Trump, however. Back in the President’s first inauguration, he contributed $1 million via his company Glenstone Limited Partnership.
After having joined his players in kneeling with arms linked together at the start of the national anthem controversy in 2017, he seemingly changed his stance when preseason camp for 2018 began, saying:
“Our policy is that you stand for the anthem, toe on the line.”
Then, in October 2020, Trump and his family were revealed to have contracted COVID-19. Jones was one of the first to express his well wishes and concerns, unusually praising the soon-to-be-outgoing President’s widely-criticized approach to containing the disease when speaking on 105.3 The Fan:
“I’m very confident that he’ll be able to continue governing. I’m sure he’s anticipated this. Knowing him, he’s the hardest worker you’ve ever seen. Knowing him, he’ll be able to go right on through this and hopefully not miss a beat.”
Three months after that, Joe Biden assumed the presidency, holding the office until Monday afternoon.
