Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones has explained how Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ended up receiving an honorary Super Bowl ring after the team defeated the Buffalo Bills in 1994.
In 1994, Clarence Thomas was chosen to present the Dallas Cowboys with their Super Bowl rings after their victory in Super Bowl XXVIII, which prompted Jerry Jones to give one over to Thomas in return.
“It was an honor for him to give the rings out that year and for me to award him one and have one,’’ Jones said on Tuesday.
Gifts that the Supreme Court justice received in the past have come under scrutiny recently, which sparked the reveal of his Super Bowl ring, which could be worth up to $100,000 at this point in time. The justice did actually disclose the gift from the Cowboys on a 1994 ethics form. Clarence Thomas had previously said that he had been “a Dallas Cowboys fan for 25 years.’”
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during the formal group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“It was always so special at his hearing, when he was being evaluated about being a Supreme Court justice, he talked about his affection for the Cowboys,’’ Jones said. “One of the senators asked him, well, it’s going to be kinda rough spending that time in Washington with such a Cowboys fan.’’
“To have you in this nest of [Washington] Redskins fans, to be a Dallas Cowboys fan, certainly discloses a degree of independence which will serve you very well on the court,” then-Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) said at the time.
During the press conference after the Dallas Cowboys training camp, Jones said that Clarence Thomas was inspirational to the team, adding that he has not given such a ring to any other politician or judge.
“I know he was inspirational to our team,’’ Jones said. “He would speak to us when we went to Washington, speak to the team.’’
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones celebrates with the Arkansas Razorbacks players after winning the Southwest Classic game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks on September 25, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Jones does not expect special treatment at the Supreme Court due to the gift.
“Well let’s put it like this,’’ Jones said. “I stay before the Supreme Court. They make decisions for America. We all stay before the Supreme Court.
“By its makeup, it does a pretty good job of representing us all,” he added.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.