Jerry Jones frustrated by unvaccinated Cooper missing time
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is frustrated that wide receiver Amari Cooper is missing time because he's not vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Amari Cooper is outstanding. He's one of the highest character guys that you will ever be around in any area. ... But this is a classic case of how it can impact a team," Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "At the end of the day, this is a team. You cannot win anything individually. ... The point is, it popped us. This did pop us."
Cooper tested positive Friday. He missed Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and also won't face the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, as unvaccinated players are required to quarantine for 10 days upon testing positive. Cooper was asymptomatic, Jones said, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Jones indicated Cooper likely would have been available for the Chiefs game if he'd been vaccinated.
"If I have a tone, I shouldn't," Jones added, according to Goodbread. "(But) the facts are, it is a 'we' thing when you walk into the locker room. And anybody is being counted on to pull his weight. Everybody expects that. They look around at each other. They understand their rights. They do, we do. Everybody understands our rights and our options as it pertains to those rights."
Vaccinated players with no symptoms may return to the team facility after receiving two consecutive negative test results at least 24 hours apart.
Jones added there's "something positive" about Cooper being sidelined.
"He's getting a two-week rest on that (hamstring)," he said.
Cooper, the Cowboys' leading receiver in each of the last three seasons, amassed 583 yards and five touchdowns on 44 receptions through the first nine games of the year.
Dallas is also unsure about receiver CeeDee Lamb's status for Thursday after he suffered a concussion in the first half against Kansas City.