Jones Fires $75,000 Fine At Switzer Action By Owner Puts Dallas Coach On Notice

A solemn and emotional Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones fined coach Barry Switzer $75,000 on Wednesday for inadvertently stowing a loaded pistol in his luggage Monday at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport.

Believed to be the largest fine assessed an NFL coach, it sent two messages: Jones is serious about cleaning up the soiled image of his team, and Switzer’s future as Jones’ coach is on serious probation.

“Barry will be head coach of the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said. But Jones refused to say how close he came to firing his coach of three years as the Cowboys prepared to play the New England Patriots in their second exhibition game Friday night.

“I won’t get into that,” Jones said.

“I accept the fine,” Switzer, who makes an estimated $1 million per season, said in a separate news conference. “It hurts, not only financially but in much more than the dollars… . I feel like a whipped dog right now.”

“I hope the actions I’m taking would be reinforcement to our fans and everyone involved that we are working toward long-term, not short-term, efforts to educate ourselves and create more awareness of our responsibilities,” Jones said.

The fine satisfied NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who said the league “presently plans to take no further disciplinary action.”

By carrying a weapon into an airport, Switzer was in violation of the league’s weapons policy, which prohibits guns while traveling on league business or while on NFL premises.

The league’s policy is only three years old, a sign of increased “awareness” of league responsibility in dealing with societal problems, league spokesman Greg Aiello said. By contrast, when former Bears coach Mike Ditka was arrested for driving under the influence after a 1985 game, there was no fine, no league alcohol misconduct policy, and not nearly the attention or repercussions Switzer is facing.

Financially, the $75,000 fine dwarfs the third-degree felony punishment of $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison for possession of a weapon in a prohibited place. Since Switzer does not have a permit for the .38-caliber revolver, he also could be subject to a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Authorities reviewing the case indicated no charges would be filed because there was no criminal intent.

Switzer said he had found his gun in his bedroom in Coppell, Texas, on Saturday and stashed it in an overnight bag with the intention of hiding it from young houseguests. A telephone call distracted him and when he got to the airport Monday to fly to training camp after the Cowboys played the Oakland Raiders Sunday night in Irving, Texas, he had forgotten the gun was still in the bag.

Switzer refused to take questions Monday about why he owns a gun or why his son, Doug, found it in a rental car and returned it to the house.

“It’s behind me. I hope you understand I do not want to talk about this anymore,” Switzer said.

“Barry is very responsible, accountable, extremely, extremely sorry and disappointed,” Jones said.

“I really do understand the seriousness of this incident. I really do,” Switzer said. “And regardless of how innocent or unintentional it was, it certainly caused a lot of harm for a lot of people, certainly me.”

“It’s a black eye for the team right now,” said quarterback Troy Aikman, who often does not see eye to eye with his coach. “We put it behind us as soon as we found out and moved on.”