Jerry Jones Drafted From Aboard His $250 Million Yacht

In Friday’s Hot Clicks: Jerry Jones’s lavish draft headquarters, where other NFL folks spent the draft and more.

Forget a war room. Jerry Jones has a war yacht. 

Ahead of the NFL draft, a lot of attention was paid to the home draft setups of league decision makers. Every day, a new photo emerged of a coach or a GM sitting in front of a Minority Report-like battery of screens, designed to make you think they were taking this draft more seriously than anybody else.

It’s just a conference call, though. All you need is the list of players you’ve been agonizing over for months, a computer to join the league’s Zoom call and one or maybe two phones to work out trades. You can do it from anywhere. In fact, the majority of coaches and GMs drafted from fairly standard home offices. (Bill Belichick was in the kitchen of his Nantucket vacation home.)

Jerry Jones’s office was far from standard, though. Here’s what viewers saw when Jones’s Cowboys were on the clock at No. 17. 

ESPN

I thought at first that Jerry was in a basement of some kind. Maybe the circular windows led to an indoor pool, or a sauna. They sure looked like portholes but it would be crazy to think he was on a seafaring vessel, right? 

Wrong. Jones, as ESPN’s Don Van Natta points out, was aboard his $250 million yacht, the 357-foot Bravo Eugenia. 

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A post shared by Oceanco (@oceancoyacht)

Jones purchased the ship in late 2018. It can accommodate 14 guests, plus a crew of 30, and features amenities like a full-sized gym, spa and two helipads. 

The ship’s automatic identification system puts it in Miami, docked at Watson Island in Biscayne Bay, where it’s been since March 25. 

A lot of people were comparing Jones to a Bond villain when they saw his draft headquarters. That’s ridiculous. He’s just riding out a global pandemic in his quarter-billion-dollar floating hotel, poised to head for international waters if society begins to collapse around him. We haven’t seen that in a Bond movie—yet. 

The good, the bad and the ugly of the other home draft setups

Everyone else’s draft rooms were fairly pedestrian, with the exception of Kliff Kingsbury’s ultra-modern living room. 

Bill Belichick’s draft room, via ABC pic.twitter.com/Sw0FKOJqkS

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) April 24, 2020

War Room 2.0 pic.twitter.com/aCh3GYPVCG

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 24, 2020

wtf is happening in Ron Rivera's living room pic.twitter.com/iH6WXqi1sM

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) April 24, 2020

Matt Patricia chilling at home...still has a pencil in his ear pic.twitter.com/P1CsaEwwmq

— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 24, 2020

i'm howling pic.twitter.com/nOt2G9Xj2k

— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) April 24, 2020

Zac Taylor just asked me how many keys I need for my room. pic.twitter.com/jPL7NAyP8P

— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) April 24, 2020

"Please don't tell anyone how I live." pic.twitter.com/LoG3j4VbtK

— Rob Wesley (@eastwes) April 24, 2020

The best of SI

Here’s an updated mock draft for Rounds 2 and 3 after what happened last night. ... The Packers have started the clock on Aaron Rodgers by taking Jordan Love in the first round. ... If MLB holds playoffs this year, should it still be called the World Series? ... The Bengals got their man at No. 1, but can they build a winner around Joe Burrow?

Around the sports world

Sumo wrestling is going forward in Japan amid the pandemic. ... The director of the Michael Jordan documentary told a story that got cut from the movie about MJ working as a waiter at a basketball camp.

Digging up old tweets is a draft tradition unlike any other

on one fateful August afternoon in 2013, a 14-year old Jerry Jeudy asked a series of tough questions about Big Bird. pic.twitter.com/xXNsMVV5EU

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) April 24, 2020

Dave Gettleman turned heads by putting on a mask in his house but he had a good reason

New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman putting on his mask while sitting at home alone. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/qC8VLlfyaE

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 24, 2020

Dave Gettleman on the mask: “I’ve got a young IT fellow in here with me and we’re social distancing, and part of it’s the mask. I’m fine”

Gettleman is in remission from lymphoma, so naturally the Giants GM is extra cautious amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

— Madelyn Burke (@MadelynBurke) April 24, 2020

Best reaction of the night

.@UMichFootball C Cesar Ruiz is overcome with emotion as he's drafted to the @Saints. 💛 @_OverCees #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/mWzZMtwtHL

— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2020

Shams got bored and decided to break some NFL news for a change

NBA boredom: Miami is drafting Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick in the NFL Draft, sources say.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2020

Bored in the house, in the house bored … New York Jets drafting Louisville’s Mekhi Becton with the No. 11 pick in the NFL Draft, per sources.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2020

Hell of a story, for sure

While an awkward moment for sure, this is the first big gaffe we’ve seen with this very unconventional draft setup which is probably better than a lot of of people were expecting. pic.twitter.com/DLpmyNuOX0

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 24, 2020

Maybe run your graphics by someone else

Video game baseball is coming to your TV

Starting Thursday, ESPN, FS1 and MLB Network will air MLB The Show league games between MLB players pic.twitter.com/wrAzndrwF6

— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) April 23, 2020

Gardner Minshew is a mythic figure

One of the best days and calls ever! Good luck to everyone hoping to get their name called! It doesn’t matter when you get picked. Just enjoy your dream coming true! #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/hwJnG1AAsx

— Gardner Minshew (@GardnerMinshew5) April 23, 2020

The NFL made a minor change to the ball

JUST IN: The NFL official game ball by @WilsonFootball gets an update for the 2020 season as the metallic shield gets blue, red and silver colors. pic.twitter.com/Aq6GggcezB

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 23, 2020

I don’t know how long I’d have to be quarantined before I agreed to be Aroldis Chapman’s bullpen catcher

Aroldis Chapman's backyard bullpen.

( via IG/@ _thecubanmissile54 ) pic.twitter.com/eDx1eeonE1

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 23, 2020

That’s not what you want

This is real man.... @ChipotleTweets SOMEONE TOOK A BITE OF MY BURRITO BEFORE DELIVERY... DISGUSTING 🤢 https://t.co/NsQCVaXaxo pic.twitter.com/3hFCI73RQj

— Lance McCullers Jr. (@lmccullers43) April 23, 2020

Shaq told Conan he misses Charles Barkley’s “flat ass”

Not sports

You can now get a burnt ends sandwich from a vending machine in Kansas City. ... American high schools have resorted to doing drive-thru graduation ceremonies. ... The cast of Parks & Recreation is reuniting for a socially distanced episode to raise money for charity.

Pierce Brosnan livestreams himself watching Goldeneye

Guy who streams wood carving on Twitch gets embarrassed when people give him money

A good song

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