Jerry Jones has long been one of the most infamous figures in all of sports. The Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager has always made extravagant comments about his franchise, but has also made some questionable moves.

As a result, he is far from a fan favorite. But even then, he might have taken it a step too far when he compared franchise icon Michael Irvin to ESPN sports media voice Stephen A. Smith. Almost immediately, several fans reacted angrily.

Fans Incensed After Jerry Jones Compares Michael Irvin to Stephen A. Smith

Jon Machota, who covers the Cowboys for The Athletic, grabbed a rather shocking snippet from Jones’ appearance on the 105.3 The Fan radio show. Sharing it on social media, he opened the proverbial can of worms of fan backlash.

“Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the @1053thefan pregame show, standing next to Stephen A. Smith: ‘We all love Michael Irvin. We don’t love him any more than this guy standing right here beside me. It’s good to see him here tonight.'”

It felt even more bizarre given how often Smith has poked fun at the Cowboys and their woes. As the team has failed to reach a Super Bowl or even a Conference Championship Game in three decades, the “First Take” featured commentator has frequently taken shots at the franchise.

“Jerry is a bag getter, and he understands Stephen A puts eyes on the Cowboys, which puts more money in his pocket,” one fan explained Jones’ rationale before adding, “I hate that [expletive] because I don’t give a [expletive] about none of that. I just wanna win.”

Another fan made that connection, explaining, “SAS plays a vital role for the Boyz. He’s an antagonist with a daily show for one of the largest fan bases. He keeps the Cowboys in the conversation, much to Jerry’s delight.”

For one fan, though, the disrespect towards the legendary wide receiver was incomprehensible,as they exclaimed, “Why tf would that old man disrespect a Cowboys legend like that?!”

One fan wrote, “Speak for yourself, Jerry! Michael is Cowboys royalty. Smith is an [expletive],” while another fan’s anger spilled over as he exclaimed, “Shut the [expletive] up, Jerry.”

Given Jones’ influence and role as the main decision-maker for arguably the biggest team in American sports, the blatant praise for Smith was shocking, especially given his team’s history with the media analyst.

“He’s too old and too rich to pander that much,” one fan argued, while another fan believed it was just a part of the dance for Jones as he wrote, “🤡 loves a circus.”

It remains to be seen whether his comments prompt Smith to soften his stance against the Cowboys to some extent. But regardless of whether the comments change Smith’s stance toward the Cowboys, they prompted more criticism of Jones from some fans.