Jerry Jones, Tagliabue among 2017 Hall of Fame finalists
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jones was announced as one of two contributor nominees to the Hall of Fame, a category created for non-players in the league to be recognized. The other nominee is former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Since the contributor category was launched in 2015, every finalist has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Jones would need 80 percent of the votes from the selection committee to get into the hall.
Jones has a strong case to make the Hall of Fame for the way he changed the business of the league and its teams, from deals with sponsors to television rights. Jones was a pioneer in selling stadium-specific partnerships with companies like Pepsi and Nike at Texas Stadium.
“Anybody who follows [the NFL] closely knows the transformation that the league has had over the last 27 years and he’s been on the forefront of so many of these factors that have helped grow the league to what it is right now,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said at a Tuesday training camp press conference.
Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989 and has three Super Bowl rings from the early 1990s teams.
The 2017 class will be selected during Super Bowl weekend in February.