Cowboys owner Jerry Jones rips 'little darling' referee who threw flag on Jason Garrett

Garrett gets unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in loss to Packers

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cowboys, by their own admission, did not play well in Sunday’s home loss to Green Bay. But the officials were not necessarily at their best, either.

The Cowboys’ frustration with the officiating boiled over late in the third quarter when head coach Jason Garrett was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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Garrett slammed a challenge flag in front of side judge Scott Edwards after Edwards ruled Amari Cooper out of bounds when the receiver got both feet in on a catch.

The call was reversed on replay, but the Cowboys started first-and-25 because of the penalty. Ezekiel Elliott caught a 26-yard pass on the next play. 

Moments earlier, Garrett had challenged a defensive pass interference call that was not overturned by the officials.

It was just one moment in a frustrating loss for the Cowboys, who dropped to 3-2 on the season. 

Afterwards, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked about the call. Jones told reporters, via ESPN, "Oh, I hope the little darling didn't hear something he hadn't heard before. We should all stop the wheel over that if he got (a penalty for) abusive language." 

Garrett said in his postgame press conference, “Apparently he didn't like how I threw the (challenge) flag.”

He added that he did not handle the situation as well as he should have.

Referee Ron Tolbert said the reason for the penalty was Garrett because had said some "abusive language toward an official.” ​​​​

The Cowboys were flagged 11 times for 124 yards, while Green Bay was flagged nine times for 78 yards.

Dallas travels to play the Jets on Sunday in New York.


About the Author:

RJ Marquez is co-host of KSAT News Now and reports for Good Morning San Antonio. He's been at KSAT since 2010 and covered a variety of stories and events across the San Antonio area. He also covers the Spurs for on-air and digital platforms, including his Spurs newsletter. RJ has reported stories for KSAT Explains.