Jerry Reacts to Cowboys Critics: 'Never About the Money!'

AC/DC once said that "Money Talks." Despite accusations to the contrary, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones claims that those conversations are just slightly above a whisper.

The Cowboys are set to enter their 35th season under Jones' ownership ... and a second decade of relative mediocrity when stacked up against the team's traditional standards of excellence. Jones has overseen three of the Cowboys' five Super Bowl triumphs, all coming within his first seven seasons at the helm. Dallas has remained consistent since then, but merely returning to the NFC Championship Game ... much less earning another Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist ... has proven elusive.

In an interview with WFAA, Jones looked back on his time with Dallas to date, hinting that he sees his saga as one of undoubted personal triumph despite the recent lack of hardware to show for it.

"I barely had enough (money) to get in the game," the 80-year-old Jones said. "I was really over my skis when I bought the Cowboys and it's a miracle that I survived it and ended up with the team."

From a financial standpoint, it's hard to argue with Jones' assertion: countless lists that compile the most valuable franchises in sports, both nationally and globally, regularly feature the Cowboys at or near the top. Dallas games at AT&T Stadium, seen by some as Jones' magnum opus, also remain regularly packed and those at home tune in to see the starred helmets more than any other team as evidenced by a seemingly weekly stream of high-profile television time slots.

All that and more has led some to accuse Jones of valuing revenue over rings. While saying he can "appreciate why (his critics) can think that," Jones claims that was never ... and never will be ... the case when it comes to his continued control of Cowboys.

"Anybody that knows me knows that I would go down to 10 percent of that value for some more first downs or some more wins in the right place, because I'm never going to see that (value) because I'm never not going to have this team," Jones said. "I gave it all up, and I gave up money I didn't have, to get to sit here with you and be a part of the future of the Cowboys. It was never about the money. It was about a passion."

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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