LISTEN: Report Says Coach Jason Garrett Received 'F- Off' Text From a Cowboys Player

More Context Would Help, But a Report Says Coach Jason Garrett Received an 'F- Off' Text From a Cowboys Player - And Here's What That Means To Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy

FRISCO - Jerry Jones is "The Decider'' in Dallas. Does that mean the Cowboys owner is also a "meddler?"

"I've seen zero evidence of that,'' new coach Mike McCarthy said Friday on 1053thefan. "He wants to win. He wants to win more than anybody. And as an NFL coach, that's all you can ask for."

Cynics may say that the reason McCarthy has seen "zero evidence'' of Jerry's excessive involvement might answer by saying, "Yeah, but it's only Friday.'' For now, though, right after Week 17 of the NFL regular season, Jerry promised he was willing to "change.'' Then came the dismissal of Jason Garrett and the hiring of a replacement who - in conflict with the usual Cowboys Way - is in charge of building his own staff.

NEW #Cowboys Staff Tracker: Jerry Jokes, But McCarthy Really Is Picking His Own (Including RB Coach) https://t.co/vnjky9gR5B pic.twitter.com/Zm3NykvBc3

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 9, 2020

Still, perception can be reality ... especially if even a player on the roster thinks it's OK to ignore someone like coach Garrett because said player can always circumvent his way straight to a meeting with the grandfatherly owner.

The great @SlaterNFL joined @kandc1053 to talk a lot of Cowboys and maybe break some stories @inthemageors @OThankKevin https://t.co/pkMmAjB579

— Shippy (@ShippySpins) January 9, 2020

It will be one thing to see if the Jones family can find a way to separate "the football'' from "the branding.' But NFL Network's Jane Slater, with the report on a Cowboys player who defied Garrett's orders with an "f--- off'' and a reminder that the player only has to obey the owner?

That mistake - which has been a trend here since Deion Sanders started it 26 years ago - can be fixed.

(Sidebar: The well-connected Slater surely has her reasons for passing on ID'ing the player or even the year that this occurred. Additionally, one player doing this does not by itself equal an avalanche of disrespect for Garrett. But again: The locker-room feeling that maybe the coach isn't entirely in charge of hiring and firing and even snaps is a long-standing issue around here. Additionally, it's worth noting that Slater says the text had an "f--- you'' tone, but not necessarily those exact words.)

It doesn't mean Jones remains anything but the GM. Nor does it mean an end to his all-important media sessions. And McCarthy's statement that he's "excited as a head coach to probably have more input than I've had in the past'' is mostly about him serving as one of the "assistant GM's,'' if you will, as Garrett did, right alongside Stephen Jones and Will McClay - not about paring down ownership input.

But "f- off'' texts to the coach? There is a method to severely lessening the chance of that happening again: Make the owner less available to the players. And make the players completely answerable to the coach.