Jones Stands By "Zeke Who?" Joke
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says he has "earned the right" to joke about Ezekiel Elliott's contract holdout
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems a little bit annoyed about how his "Zeke who?" comment was taken.
When asked if Tony Pollard's solid performance in Saturday's game was the Cowboys' best bargaining chip against Ezekiel Elliott's contract holdout, Jones answered: "Who? Now Zeke who?"
He followed that up by saying into the camera directed at Elliott: "We're having some fun, not at your expense."
That second comment, though, clearly did not smooth things over because the running back and his camp were not thrilled.
"I didn't think it was funny and neither did Zeke. We actually thought it was disrespectful," Elliott's agent Rocky Arceneaux told ESPN on Monday.
As one might expect, though, Jones was unhappy he had to address the backlash to his comment.
"I've earned the right to joke with Zeke," Jones told a news conference on Tuesday. "Let me be real clear about that. I've earned the right to joke with Zeke."
Elliott remains a holdout from camp as he is looking for a new contract. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option and he is locked up with the team for another two seasons.
The 24-year-old is a two-time rushing champion and led the league in carries in 2016 and 2018.