Q: I think I once heard you say that you used to collect your
"used" equipment from each team you played with but that the Cowboys
charged you for some of it. Just wondering how much you paid for a
Cowboys jersey and helmet? Or did you leave them behind? What was their
explanation for being so cheap? Would their policy change in an uncapped
year?</p>
Paul in New Brunswick, Canada</p>
A: It
has nothing to do with the salary cap, and yes, I have said that the
Cowboys were the only team of five I played for that I recall charging
me via payroll deduction for my helmet. I believe it was $200. I was
told that Jerry Jones looks at equipment as team property, and if a
player wants it, he has to purchase it. I'm a business owner, so on
some level I get it, but I was pretty surprised, given how much money
the Cowboys make. They also were the only team that deducted money for
lunch every week during the season, which was even more astonishing to
me.</p>