Peyton Manning couldn’t resist taking a look at the Dallas Cowboys’ miserable season during his hosting duties at the Country Music Awards Wednesday night.
The NFL legend joined country music stars Luke Bryan and Lainey Wilson Bridgestone Arena in Nashville as he hosted the awards show for the third year in a row.
But the former quarterback’s focus didn’t stray too far from the football field as he made a joke during the opening monologue at the expense of the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.
Co-host Wilson shouted out Kelsea Ballerini, who is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “Cowboys Cry Too” with Noah Kahan.
“Come on, give it up for Kelsea,” Wilson said as the camera panned to Ballerini sitting in the audience with friend “Outer Banks” actor Chase Stokes.
“This is the year we discovered that cowboys cry too,” she added.
Peyton Manning hosted the Country Music Awards with Luke Bryan and Lainey Wilson (L-R)
The NFL icon couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ miserable season
“Okay, that’s enough about Jerry Jones,” the NFL Hall of Famer said at the time, referring to the Cowboys’ owner.
Peyton’s joke was a clear criticism of the Dallas franchise, which is having a miserable 2024 season.
Dallas suffered even more humiliation on Monday night when the Texans pulled off a big win and the roof of AT&T Stadium collapsed.
The Cowboys are now 3-7 on the season and are the only American men’s professional team – in the NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and NFL – without a home win in 2024.
That has increased the pressure on head coach Mike McCarthy and the team’s billionaire owner.
After Monday’s game, Jones labeled the suggestion that McCarthy lost the locker room “so over the top.” He also claimed that difficult seasons like this are inevitable if “you stay in this league long enough.”
Jones’ claims earned him comparisons to President Joe Biden by analyst Stephen A. Smith, who decried his interventions.
“I’m not kidding when I say this: I’m very concerned about Jerry Jones,” Smith told ESPN’s First Take.
‘Cause the only thing worse than the team’s play is his press conferences… where he says one thing after another, after another.
“I find myself thinking about Joe Biden before he withdrew from his re-election bid. I think Jerry is a month older than President Joe Biden for crying out loud.”
Jones, who has a net worth of nearly $16 billion, was born in October 1942, a few weeks before President Biden.