Aaron Jones Fined $10K for Taunting Cowboys’ Byron Jones

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones was fined for his bye-bye wave against Dallas.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Oct 12, 2019 1:51 PM EDT

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones was fined $10,527 for waving to Dallas defensive back Byron Jones on his way to the third of four touchdown runs in last week’s victory over the Cowboys.

“I can’t say it was worth it but the picture is a dope picture. I can’t argue with that,” Jones said on Friday. “I’m going to have that blown up one day in my house. I definitely got a nice picture out of it, but it hurts my pocket a little bit. I want that money.”

Jones plans on appealing the fine, hoping it might get reduced as a first-time offender.

The taunt was out of character for Jones, a “yes, sir; no, sir” player and the son of military parents. It happened in the heat of the moment due to all the trash talking from Cowboys defenders, he said. The talking started pregame from a couple of ex-Packers.

“Oh, yeah, they were talking all game,” Jones said. “Joe Thomas came up to me before the game, and was like ‘I’m going to hit you today.’ I was like, ‘we’ll see.’ Then Josh Jones, he was talking about how their backers were going to hit me and they’re all over the field and flying around. Throughout the course of the game, their d-linemen were talking trash.”

Jones was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after piling up 182 yards from scrimmage. He became the first player to rush for four touchdowns against the Cowboys, and he joined Hall of Famer Jim Taylor as the only Packers to rush for four touchdowns in a road game.

According to running backs coach Ben Sirmans, Jones broke 12 tackles on the day.

“He’s a very instinctive runner, and I think his style is so deceiving because he can make such fluid cuts,” Sirmans said. “Sometimes, you’ll see backs breaking down. When they start breaking down, it gives the defender an opportunity to reset themselves and make the tackle, but he’s just so smooth with his movement that he can get guys off-balance. When a guy’s off-balance and he can’t run their feet to go make the tackle, that’s when he can avoid him. He’s not a real shifty, hip guy, like a Barry Sanders. He does everything through quick, subtle movements.”

For Jones, the formula to being so hard to tackle is using what comes naturally and then building upon that strength. Blessed with balance, Jones has worked to accentuate that strength. That has allowed him to bounce off would-be tacklers.

“You can definitely work on your balance but I think it is something that you’re born with and you fine-tune it and hone in on it,” Jones said earlier in the week. “It’s [doing] different things in the offseason, from single-leg squats to single-leg exercises to working on being off-balance, so your body knows what it feels like to be off-balance and catch itself and get realigned.”

Video: Saturday's Packers practice