>>> THIS IS A FASCINATING PIECE OF REPORTING THAT WE'RE GOING TO
TALKBOUT NOW. WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THIS
PHOTO FROM SEPTEMBER 9, 1957 SHOWING DALLAS COWBOYS OWNER
JERRY JONES AMID A CROWD OF WHITE STUDENTS TRYING TO KEEP
BLACK STUDENTS FROM INTEGRATING AT A ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL.
REPORT THAT JONES WHO WAS 14 AT THE TIME COULD BE SEEN STANDING
A FEW YARDS FROM WHERE THE SIX BLACK STUDENTS WERE JOSTLED AND
REPELLED WITH RACIAL SLURS BY RING LEADERS OF THE MOB.
SO WITH US SALLY JENKINS, WHO BROKE THIS STORY WITH HER
CO-AUTHOR DAVID MORAN NIS. WE'RE HAPPY YOU COULD JOIN US
THIS MORNING. THIS WHOLE THING IS --
>> IT'S STUNNING. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PICTURE
AND SEE HOW HE COULD MOVE DIVERSITY ALONG WITH COACHING
AND THE SPORT. WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS
PHOTOGRAPH? >> WELL, I THINK THE FIRST THING
YOU LEARN IS JUST HOW WIDESPREAD THE SEGREGATIONISTS WERE IN
LITTLE ROCK AND NORTH LITTLE ROCK.
JERRY JONES' HIGH SCHOOL WAS NORTH LITTLE ROCK WHICH WAS
ACROSS THE ARKANSAS RIVER FROM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH WAS
THE SCHOOL THAT GOT ALL THE ATTENTION WHEN EISENHOWER SENT
IN TROOPS TO PROTECT THE LITTLE ROCK NINE.
BUT THE AGITATORS WERE ACTIVE ON BOTH SITES AND THE FACT THAT WE
KNEW THAT GENERATIONALLY JERRY JONES HAD TO HAVE EXPERIENCED
THE EVENTS IN LITTLE ROCK MORE GENERALLY BUT TO FIND HIM IN THE
ALP PHOTOGRAPH AND LEARN THAT HE
EXPERIENCED ONE OF THOSE INCIDENTS ON THE STEPS WAS
PRETTY REVELATORY. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THIS
PICTURE. HE WAS SAYING I WAS JUST THERE,
I WASN'T PARTICIPATING, I WAS THERE TO OBSERVE.
BUT THE -- WITH THE PHOTOGRAPH WHICH YOU POINT OUT IN YOUR
REPORTING IN ORDER TO GET WHERE HE WAS AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS
HE HAD TO GET UP QUICKLY AND THOSE WERE THE STUDENTS KEEPING
THE BLACK STUDENTS FROM ENTERING.
DOES THIS SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HIS PARTICIPATION?
ARE YOU MAKING ANY SORT OF JUDGMENT ABOUT IT?
>> WELL, TWO THINGS. FIRST OF ALL -- SO HE'S ACTUALLY
YOUNGER THAN THE RING LEADERS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS.
THAT'S ONE THING WE NOTICED. WE LOOKED AT A SEQUENCE OF
PHOTOS LEADING UP TO THOSE STEPS AND THE WHITE TEENAGERS ON THE
STEPS DID HAVE TO MOVE AROUND THE BLACK STUDENTS TO GET TO THE
TOP OF THE STEPS. NEVERTHELESS, HE IS FURTHER
BACK, HE IS YOUNGER THAN THE LEAD PARTICIPANTS.
SO I THINK THAT YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD UNLESS
SOMETHING ELSE APPEARS THAT HE WAS THERE MORE OUT OF CURIOSITY
AND FASCINATION AS OPPOSED TO BEING AT THE EPICENTER OF THE
ACTIVE EVENTS. ONE THING HE TOLD US THAT HE DID
NOT MAKE IT IN THE STORY IS HE REMEMBERS IT GOT PHYSICAL.
THE TOUGH GUYS YOU SEE IN THE CENTER OF THE PHOTOGRAPH END UP
REALLY PUSHING THE KIDS DOWN OFF THE STEPS.
AND, IN FACT, ONE OF THEM IS ARRESTED.
>> I HOPE EVERYONE TAKES A MOMENT TO READ THE REPORTING
THAT YOU AND DAVID DID AS THEY WATCH FOOTBALL.
THE REASON YOU DID THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT THAT PHOTO.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS WITH HIS POSITION OF POWER IN THE
LEAGUE NOW AND THE NFL NOW, AND THE POSITION AND POWER THE
COWBOYS HAVE. THIS IS PART OF WHAT "THE
WASHINGTON POST" IS DOING, EXAMINING THE NFL'S DECADES LONG
FAILURE TO PROMOTE BLACK COACHES, RIGHT?
>> YES. >> AND I -- GO AHEAD.
>> THIS STORY IS PART OF A LONG SERIES WE'VE BEEN DOING CALLED
BLACKOUT, WHICH IS EXAMINING THE ISSUES IN THE LEAGUE ABOUT THE
FACT THAT ALMOST 70% OF THE WORKFORCE IS BLACK AND YET THERE
ARE ONLY THREE HEAD COACHES. ONE OF THE THINGS OUR DATA HAS
FOUND IS THAT MID LEVEL -- BLACK COACHES WHO DO MANAGE TO GET
HEAD COACHING JOBS WAITED AN AVERAGE OF NINE YEARS LONGER IN
MID LEVEL ASSISTANCE COACHING PARTS THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTER
PARTS SO THERE'S STRIKING INEQUITIES WITHIN THE LEAGUE AS
THE LEAGUE ADMITS. JERRY JONES WAS THE ONLY OWNER
TO TALK TO US IN THIS SERIES IN ANY WAY.
WE GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR SITTING DOWN AND HAVING THIS DIFFICULT
CONVERSATION. >> I'M GLAD YOU BRING IT UP.
THEY ALL SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO YOU BY THE WAY.
ONE OF THE WELL KNOWN RETIRED SPORTS CASTERS IN DALLAS, DALE
HANSON, SAID WHAT FRUSTRATES ME MOST IS THAT JERRY JONES IS IN
SUCH A POSITION THAT IF HE TAKES A STRONG CHANCE HE COULD BE THE
CHANGE IN THE LEAGUE. AND IT SEEMS THAT JERRY JONES
AGREES. >> HE DID AGREE.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE MORE INTERESTING THINGS IN OUR
CONVERSATION WITH HIM WHICH LASTED WELL OVER TWO AND A HALF
HOURS P. HE SAID, I UNDERSTAND THAT, I
AGREE WITH THAT. WE DISCUSSED WHY HE HADN'T BEEN
AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS ISSUE UNTIL NOW.
AND THE SHORT ANSWER TO THAT IS THAT HE'S BEEN MORE CONCERNED
WITH TRYING TO WIN, YOU KNOW, SUPER BOWLS AND APPOINTING MEN
WHO WERE OLD FRIENDS OF HIS OR WHO HE KNEW TO THE JOB.
HIS SECOND HEAD COACH WAS BARRY SWITZER, A GUY HE WENT WAY BACK
TO ARKANSAS WITH. SO HE'S FORTHRIGHT IN TRYING TO
ADDRESS THESE TOUGH QUESTIONS. IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'LL ALWAYS BE
SATISFIED BY HIS ANSWERS. BUT HE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY
OWNERS -- THE ONLY OWNER TO SIT DOWN AND TALK TO US TO THIS
EXTENT ABOUT IT. >> YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM CREDIT.
BUT THERE ARE FAILURES, THERE ARE FAILURES IN THE NFL AS THIS
IS POINTING OUT. AS YOU HAVE BEEN REPORTING THIS,
SALLY, IT'S GREAT, EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS.
IT'S FASCINATING. SO WHAT'S THE SOLUTION HERE?
WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE DONE?
>> WELL, I THINK ONE SOLUTION IS THE NFL HAS LAUNCHED AN
INAUGURAL ACCELERATOR PROGRAM. IT'S NOT A SOLUTION.
IT'S A TOOL. IT'S A MECHANISM TO TRY TO HELP
OWNERS GET TO KNOW OWNERS MORE PERSONALLY.
A LOT OF TIMES WHAT THEY LACK ARE THE CLOSE PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIPS. THAT'S ONE THING WE'VE HEARD.
OWNERS DON'T SPEND MUCH TIME WITH THEM.
YOU KNOW, OWNERS TALK TO LOTS OF HEAD COACHES.
THEY TALK TO VERY FEW ASSISTANT COACHES.
IF YOU'RE AN OWNER OF THE GIANTS OR THE COWBOYS YOU'RE NOT
SPENDING A GREAT DEAL OF TIME TALKING TO YOUR RUNNING BACKS
COACH. SO THIS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM IS
ONE IDEA TO TRY TO GET THE RELATIONSHIPS MOVING ALONG.
WE'LL SEE IF IT WORKS. QUITE FRANKLY, A MUCH BETTER
IDEA IS FOR A TEAM LIKE THE DALLAS COWBOYS, A MAKER OF
MANORS, TO HIRE A BLACK HEAD COACH, HAVE A WINNING RECORD AND
WIN A SUPER BOWL WITH ONE. WHEN TONY DUNGY WAS HIRED AND
WON A SUPER BOWL WITH THE COLTS, IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO
TRIGGER MOVING FORWARD. >> SALLY JENKINS JOINS US.
AND DAVID MORANIS IS THE CO-WRITER JT JERRY JONES HELPED
TRANSFORM THE NFL EXCEPT WEN WHEN IT COMES TO RACE.
IT'S A FASCINATING READ. I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD CHECK IT
OUT. THANK YOU, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO