The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is taking strong exception to Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones’ “blind referee” Halloween costume, charging the Texas billionaire with feeding into “harmful stereotypes.
Jones rocked the look on Halloween night in what appeared to most as a harmless and humorous shot at NFL referees.
That look, capped off with a walking stick, did not sit well with the NFB, which told TMZ Sports that Jones’ costume fed into stereotypes that the blind are “incompetent.”
“When anyone perpetuates that stereotype, it’s harmful,” NFB Director Chris Danielsen told TMZ Sports.
“He does have blind Cowboys fans,” Danielsen continued. “They show up at games and put on headsets or listen on the radio. It may be something for him to think about.”
“I’m being very careful here because I’m getting real close to a fine. It shows how much I love them to dress up as them … how much I respect their decision-making,” Jones told SI. “I had the cane and everything. And I used it on some people, too.”
Of course, most fans understand Jones’s costume was meant to imply NFL referees can’t see, not that blind people are incompetent.
The NFL could have punished Jones for his costume due to the league’s rule against public criticism of officials but has not yet commented on the matter.