Written by Staff Writer by Hannah Eastman.
CNN
(CNN) – Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said fans won’t have to endure two home games on Thanksgiving this season, with the team planning to play its home game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium this week.
Jones made the announcement Wednesday at a press conference in Dallas, saying that he hopes it will bring a family-friendly atmosphere to the Thanksgiving Eve game.
The Cowboys and Ravens will play in Week 16, when travel expenses will be donated to Children’s Hospital of Dallas. Jones said Dallas hasn’t received any positive feedback on the current game plan.
In order to host its traditional Thanksgiving game, Dallas traditionally travels to Detroit and takes on the Lions.
Fans complained that the game would lead to decreased ticket sales and a sluggish overall atmosphere during a national holiday. Jones admitted Tuesday that he had spent a lot of time discussing the idea of playing home games on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium.
“The two great things we have in AT&T Stadium is you got the escalators, that’s why we have the escalators with the escalators, and the ownership treats us like royalty. That ain’t changed one iota,” Jones said during Tuesday’s press conference.
The fans didn’t need much persuasion after this past Thanksgiving, when the Cowboys lost to the Raiders in overtime, 25-22. The Raiders claimed an impressive road victory in front of an announced crowd of 47,000, as many fans stayed home after learning about Dallas’ game plan.
“There wasn’t a lot of good in that game … from a Dallas perspective,” Jones said. “It’s not us having two games instead of one. It’s you starting out getting beat in the worst fashion you could be beaten, and there is a lot of disgust there.
“Let’s see what we can do to take a football game that was a great script for everybody around the stadium, the environment, and make it something that’s really as close to a perfect script as we can have.”
“I’ve always said that there is nothing we couldn’t handle, but I never in my entire life thought that we could do what we just did,” Jones added. “Can you imagine what it would be like if people gave one out? And I can. ‘Cause, trust me, I’ll give it a try.”