OXNARD, Calif. – Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones revealed in the upcoming Netflix documentary "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys," which debuts next week, that he was diagnosed with and overcame stage-four cancer.
Jones, 82, talked about his battle on Wednesday and his perspective throughout the process.
"Millions of people are dealing with setbacks every day," Jones said. "You've gotta keep that in mind all the way through. There's no question that from my point of view, the great life that I get to have…"
"Being around this team, being around the NFL, being around sports, that for me if you need to be around a positive attitude when you're trying to deal with something like that, I've been around it… I've been blessed to be a part of the NFL."
Earlier on Wednesday, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer also revealed that he had battled cancer in the past. Both he and Jones spoke about their respective experiences together, and while Jones didn't delve into what the two talked about, he did harp on the gift of life that everyone has.
"We talk about pressure, we talk about challenges. I told a coach one time, he said, 'Man, that going for two, that just adds pressure.' I don't want to sound condescending, but I said, 'Everybody on that TV, everybody in those stands, they're dealing with things. They're dealing with pressure.'" Jones said.
"We all have pressure, let's all be thankful we're here to get to deal with it."
Jones explained that he was part of a treatment trial with PD-1, an immune checkpoint inhibitor that helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. In his words, it "really, really, really worked."
One of the side effects was Jones had to have both of his hips replace because of what it did to his bones. That pales in comparison to what could have been in the worst-case scenario.
"You don't like to think about your mortality, but I was so fortunate to have some great people that sent me in the right direction…" Jones said. "I'm proud to get to be sitting here with you guys and be getting to do what we do. But [mortality] was in the back of your mind."
As the title of the Netflix documentary details, Jones has always been a gambler. For some, an encounter with a devastating part of life like cancer may change their perspective on life. For Jones, it didn't, because he's already been living with the appreciation of what's around him.
"I was with the Cowboys because I wanted the job of running the Cowboys," Jones said. Not necessarily for my children, not necessarily for anybody, I wanted that job. That's the way it's been, and when you're passionate and get totally engulfed in what you're doing, that helps you deal with some of the other issues we deal with in life."
