Cowboys’ Jones Says ‘No Tumors’ After Stage 4 Melanoma Battle

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that he once battled Stage 4 melanoma — a severe form of skin cancer — and credits an experimental drug trial with saving his life.

In the upcoming fifth episode of Netflix’s America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, set to debut next week, the 82-year-old opens up about his treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. While the documentary doesn’t share all the details, Jones told The Dallas Morning News that a therapy called PD-1 changed everything.

“I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle [drug] called PD-1 [therapy].” Jones said. “I went into trials for that PD-1, and it has been one of the great medicines. I now have no tumors.”

A Decade of Surgeries and Recovery

Jones was diagnosed in June 2010 and began treatment soon after. Over the next 10 years, he had two lung surgeries and two lymph node surgeries. Stage 4 melanoma means the cancer had spread to other parts of his body, making it one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer.

PD-1 therapy works by helping the immune system find and attack cancer cells. Jones said the treatment was tough on his body, damaging his hips so badly that he needed both replaced. Still, he feels grateful to be alive and active.

“You don’t like to think about your mortality, but I was so fortunate to have some great people that sent me in the right direction,” Jones said. “I got to be a part of a trial that was propitious. It really worked. It’s called PD-1, and it really, really, really worked.

“It ate my hips up. I had to have both hips replaced because it was rough on your bones, but other than that, I’m so proud to get to be sitting here with you guys and be getting to do what we do. … But [mortality] was in the back of your mind.”

Changing the Odds

Years ago, a Stage 4 melanoma diagnosis often meant doctors could only try to slow the disease and manage symptoms. Today, treatments like PD-1 therapy — part of a class called checkpoint inhibitors — have improved survival rates significantly. Some patients even have no sign of cancer years after treatment.

Support From the Sidelines

Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer shared his own cancer experience after hearing Jones’ story. Schottenheimer was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002 when he was 28 and coaching for the Chargers. Surgery at the Mayo Clinic removed his thyroid and 17 lymph nodes, leaving a permanent scar but saving his life.

“Mine was certainly less serious. … Nothing like Stage 4, nothing like what Jerry and other people have to go through,” Schottenheimer said. “But you hear that word ‘cancer,’ and it scares the hell out of you.”

He praised Jones for speaking out, saying it gives people hope and strength when facing the disease.

A Touch of Humor Amid the Fight

Jones’ PD-1 therapy story includes a lighthearted moment. After being told to meditate and wish well to 10 people who “boil your blood,” Jones admitted he put former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson at the top of his list. When asked later how the meditation was going, Jones grinned and said, “I can’t get past that first mother…”

More Than Football

The Netflix series covers Jones’ life and career, from buying the Cowboys to firing legendary coach Tom Landry, hiring Johnson, and building the dominant 1990s team. Now, it also tells the story of his fight against cancer — and how a breakthrough treatment helped him beat the odds.

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