Jerry Jones, team officials defend 'team culture' despite off-field issues

OXNARD, Calif. — As the Dallas Cowboys reported to training camp here, perhaps the biggest storyline is about the players who didn’t make it.

This offseason, the NFL suspended three Cowboys projected defensive starters — defensive ends Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory and linebacker Rolando McClain — all for violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.

The team confirmed Friday that both McClain and Gregory did not travel on the team plane to California and did not report to training camp, which is being held at the Marriott Residence Inn.

“Obviously, there are some details that go into those situations that we’re not going to discuss,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday at a press conference to kick off training camp.

When asked if it was the team’s inclination to have McClain and Gregory on the team once their suspensions would be lifted, Jones declined to comment saying only that the team “would make those decisions as they present themselves.”

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His father, team owner Jerry Jones, added that “there are too many moving parts, to be succinct, to answer that question.”

When pressed about why the franchise would stand behind McClain, who has a history of repeated violations of the substance abuse policy, Jerry Jones cited “nuances” he declined to get into, but mentioned the team’s salary cap as one of the reasons.

The suspensions of McClain and Gregory are both multiple offenses, which leads to questions about a poor culture inside the team’s locker room.

Each of Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones and coach Jason Garrett each defended the quality of the program in place.

“This organization through the years has developed a great culture by bringing in the right kind of guys,” Garrett said. “But then you take some risks, you take some chances on some other guys to see if you can help them fit in that culture. We have a number of great success stories of guys fitting into that culture.

“Are we always right? No. One of the jobs we have is to provide the right structure to get the best out of guys, and it’s always a work in progress. But I love the culture of our team. I love the character of our team. We’re going to help the guys who aren’t able to live up to that culture and, frankly, we’re going to move on from some guys as well.”

Stephen Jones added that “each individual stands on its own.”

That doesn’t remove the criticism, however, that the Cowboys have received for acquiring players with off-field issues.

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The team opted not to re-sign defensive end Greg Hardy this offseason after one tumultuous year with the franchise in which he dealt with the continued fallout of his domestic violence incident from 2014, while a member of the Carolina Panthers.

In another issue that emerged last week, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is under investigation for an alleged domestic assault in Columbus, Ohio, but the team said Friday it is standing behind Elliott.

Elliott has not been charged or arrested for the incident and has denied the allegations, according to a police report that surfaced last Friday. The Cowboys heard Elliott’s version of the incident last week. When asked if Elliott’s statements to team officials gave them confidence about his innocence, Jerry Jones expressed confidence.

“We’ve seen no contradictions from any of the information we have seen,” Jones said. “And the information we have seen has him here in camp and involved with us. I have seen no bits of information that would contradict with that.”

The NFL has indicated it will review the alleged assault under the league’s personal conduct policy.

The Cowboys selected Elliott with the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft, and he is expected to become the team’s featured back this season.

As all 32 NFL squads report for camps across the country, this is a time where optimism is ripe. The Cowboys, despite their several off-field issues, aren’t an exception.

“We are not going to let a few notable setbacks deter the fact that we are fortunate to have many assets that we are going to put on the playing field and win ball games with,” Jerry Jones said.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.