Jerry Jones ‘very impressed’ with Jay Z: Dez Bryant listens to him
Jon Machota Email
jmachota@dallasnews.com
Published: July 15, 2015 11:38 pm
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke glowingly of the work done by the folks at Roc Nation on Wednesday.
The management team that represents Dez Bryant worked with the Cowboys owner and the team’s executive vice president, Stephen Jones, into the early morning hours on Wednesday to set the parameters for a deal with the All-Pro wide receiver.
“I must emphasize, Roc Nation, Jay-Z, the key people in Roc Nation did a marvelous job of convincing us that managing Dez and managing him with his off the field, with his marketing opportunities, with his finances, that they’re a group that will really make a contribution to Dez,” Jerry Jones said during a Wednesday conference call. “They were very significant in us doing this deal with Dez.”
The Joneses flew to New York on Tuesday to meet with Bryant’s representatives. They presented a formal proposal around 3 a.m. that included more guaranteed money and a higher total value than their previous offers, according to a source. Both sides then returned to work out the details during the final hours of Wednesday’s 3 p.m. franchise tag deadline.
The five-year deal is worth $70 million, including $45 million guaranteed with a $20 million signing bonus. Of that signing bonus, Bryant will receive a third in the next 15 days, a third will be spread throughout his checks during the season and the other third will be paid on March 15. According to a source, there are no safeguards in the contract regarding off-the-field issues.
“As you know, the league has been addressing conduct policy significantly over the last 18 months,” Jerry Jones said. “Consequently, we put into any new contracts the things that the league wants in the contract relative to conduct, and Dez has the same thing in his and no more than other veterans that we recently signed.”
The Cowboys owner and general manager said Wednesday that although Bryant hasn’t always made the right decisions off the field, he has shown improvement in the areas where he has made mistakes.
“He has gotten better every year and you’ve got every reason to think at his age, which he’s young, that he’ll continue to get better and better and better on and off the field,” Jerry Jones said. “And I’m very proud of him.”
How does he feel about what Roc Nation has planned for one of the cornerstone pieces of the Cowboys franchise?
“They sold me on their commitment to have an associate in Dez that makes them proud, that makes Dez proud to be associated with them, and that makes Roc Nation proud,” Jerry Jones said. “I see that. I see they have a lot to gain and a lot to lose by giving good advice and by helping not only athletes but having entertainers reach their goals and, if you will, keep the money they earn. They’re good at it. They have the perfect textbook. It’s called their book. So they’re good at it. They’re genuine at it and I’m very, very impressed.”
During a Thursday morning radio interview on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM], the Cowboys owner told the New School show that Jay-Z was not personally involved with the contract negotiations, but he was involved with the “painting of the picture of off the field decisions.”
“That’s where Jay-Z is such an example,” Jerry Jones said. “The main thing is that people listen to him. Dez listens to him. Dez will listen to him. Why? We all should listen to him, he’s had tremendous success apart from being a great talent.”
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Interesting.