From Charles Haley to Von Miller: “Flawed individuals are some of my greatest role models” – Jerry Jones-led Dallas Cowboys’ history of taking chances on controversial stars | NFL News
Jerry Jones said in Netflix’s America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys that the physical and mental aspects of football are very complicated.“You’ve even heard it said, ‘You can’t play football successfully with Sunday school teachers.’ So, if you wait around and try to get the player with the perfect character, you’ve given yourself a handicap that’s not necessary. In fact, flawed individuals are some of my greatest role models,” Jones said.Charles Haley was known to scare coaches, while Von Miller has a troubled past, including a domestic violence case involving his then-girlfriend in 2023. Let’s check out these flawed individuals who were/can be rehabilitated, according to Jerry Jones.
Jerry Jones-led Cowboys’ attraction to signing troubled past or controversial players like Charles Haley in 1992 and Von Miller in 2026
Charles Haley was a Pro Bowl player who had won two Super Bowls. The only problem he had was the horror stories coaches had heard about him.The legendary defensive end came with a troubled past of scolding coaches, being aggressive, and, plain and simple, being the torchbearer of horror stories.Haley himself admitted on Netflix’s America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys that he has three personalities within himself – Chuck [the a*sh*le], Charlie [the sensitive one who cries all the time], and Charles [the sensible one].“Let me give you a secret: whatever came into my head, I did. I didn’t give a sh*t,” he said.“Charles always found a rookie to pick on,” Bill Romanowski said on Netflix’s America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys. “When I got to the 49ers, I happened to be that rookie. You know, calling me a ‘p*ssy.’Then in 1992, I heard that Charles walked up into the general manager’s office; he pulled out his d*ck, pissed on his desk, and said, ‘This is how bad I want out of here.’”Jerry Jones admitted that it was “dicey” bringing Charles Haley from the San Francisco 49ers, but Jones is a huge believer in rehabilitation. So, he took the risk. And they won a Super Bowl that year! Not just one, but three! With Haley playing for them.Could this happen with Von Miller? He also comes with a troubled past. He also has two Super Bowls. He also happens to be an edge rusher! Can we stop here? Maybe not…
Von Miller’s controversial past includes a domestic violence case
Court documents obtained by WFAA in November 2023 reported that Von Miller was accused of assaulting his then-pregnant girlfriend at their high-rise apartment in Dallas.When police officers arrived at the scene, they found “minor abrasions” on Miller’s longtime girlfriend’s hand and bruising on her neck – “injuries consistent with applied pressure to the neck.”According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Miller and his girlfriend were arguing in their bedroom because she did not want to travel on her birthday that week. When the alleged victim went from the bedroom to the office, she slammed the office door in rage. This made Miller visibly angry.He went into the office and yelled at his girlfriend to “get out” of the apartment. The girlfriend began to comply with Miller’s request and attempted to gather her belongings when Miller began to shove and push her, all while telling her to leave the apartment.He then began to film her on his phone while continuing to push and shove her out of the home. She kept yelling, “Stop! I’m pregnant.” But Miller kept pushing. Then Miller applied pressure around the girlfriend’s neck for three to five seconds before letting go.The 911 call had her saying, “My boyfriend is choking and hitting me… I have bruises all over me, my hair is out.”When the dispatcher asked her about the boyfriend, she said, “He just stormed out.” The dispatcher then asked her if she needed paramedics; she said, “I don’t know. He pulled my hair out. I have, like, some blood on me… but not like…Yeah, I don’t know.”A warrant for a third-degree felony charge of assaulting a pregnant person was issued for Miller in November 2023, when he played for the Buffalo Bills.Miller turned himself in and was taken to the DeSoto Police Department jail for processing. He immediately posted a $5,000 bond and was released.Fast forward to today: the Dallas Cowboys have signed him for the 2026 season. Jerry Jones’ belief in rehabilitation is so strong; can this hypothetical modern-day Charles Haley lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl win? Especially after a 30-year drought? Remains to be seen…
