For a man who has been in the public eye over the years as much as Jerry Jones has, a recently revealed health battle has many fans shocked.
It was revealed Wednesday that the 82-year-old Dallas Cowboys owner fought stage 4 cancer for more than decade and has come out on top.
Jones opened up about his medical battle to the Dallas Morning News, crediting an experimental drug for helping him overcome stage 4 melanoma, which was first diagnosed in June 2010.
“I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle (drug) called PD-1 (therapy),” he told the outlet. “I went into trials for that PD-1 and it has been one of the great medicines.
“I now have no tumours.”
In the soon-to-be-released Netflix docuseries America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, Jones reportedly makes reference to getting cancer treatment “about a dozen years ago,” but he hadn’t made any such knowledge public until now.
Jones reportedly began treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, but did not say when he started taking PD-1 — which is short for Programmed Cell Death Protein 1.
Jones also revealed to the outlet that since the diagnosis in 2010, he has undergone two lung surgeries and two lymph node surgeries.
Jones has owned the Cowboys since 1989, when he purchased the team for $140 million US.
In 2024, the team became the first franchise in the world to reach a valuation of $10 billion – and has climbed to $12.8 billion this year, according to valuations released Wednesday by Sportico.
However, the Cowboys have seen their success on the field limited to the regular season. Since winning the Super Bowl in 1995, Dallas has not reached the NFC championship game.
The team also boasts many celebrity fans, including actor Denzel Washington — who criticized Jones during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday.
The Cowboys are set to open the NFL season against the division rival and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.