Roc Nation Sports has responded to Jerry Jones' comments about Dez Bryant’s contract negotiations.
Roc Nation shared a message on Instagram Sunday (Aug. 3) that said, “In 2015, at the 21 Club, on a napkin, Jerry Jones, Juan Perez, Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, and Stephen Jones negotiated a five-year, $70 million deal, which included a $45 million guarantee and a $20 million signing bonus for Dez Bryant.”
“At the time, it was the second largest contract for a wide receiver in NFL history,” the statement continued. “The claim that Mr. Carter or Roc Nation representative did not return a call from Jerry Jones is not only a false statement, but it’s also a comical one.”
Roc Nation Sports’ response comes amid Bryant and Jones’ growing dispute over past interactions about negotiations. On Friday, Jones spoke with Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about Bryant’s contract talks from 2015 and said the Cowboys owner spoke about wanting to negotiate with linebacker Micah Parsons instead of his agent.
“Because when we have a problem with the player, the agent is nowhere to be found,” Jones said.
Then, he brought up the period of time when Bryant was represented by Roc Nation Sports.
“Jay-Z said that Dez would make all the meetings. Jay-Z and I negotiated the contract, spent hours,” Jones said. “He said, ‘Anybody in my organization is on time.’ He said, ‘My office used to be on the street corner, and I’ve always been early. So they will be on time.’”
“And what did I say? I said, ‘I’m going to call you [when I have a problem].’ He quit taking my call,” Jones added.
Bryant caught wind of Jones’ comments and angrily lashed out on X in all caps.
“I don’t think it’s smart to mention my name,” Bryant wrote. “Ya’ll don’t understand the amount of shit I let slide…do not mention my name about shit.”
In 2019, Jones admitted to negotiating Bryant's contract in the same manner that Roc Nation Sports' post explained.
“Jay-Z, bar none, is in the top five of anyone I’ve ever met. His style, his demeanor, the quality of the person he is, he’s just outstanding,” he said. "I negotiated personally with Jay-Z on Dez Bryant’s contract. And we actually were in the 21 Club, and we started about 12 midnight and finished about 5 in the morning and we negotiated down in the wine cellar Dez Bryant‘s contract."