For most of Friday's 40-minute virtual draft press conference, the topic was strictly football – namely the Cowboys' decisions to draft Alabama's Trevon Diggs and Oklahoma's Neville Gallimore in the second and third rounds.
Toward the end, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones was asked about the nation's battle with COVID-19 and what the future could hold for the NFL this season amid the pandemic.
Jones grew emotional as he expressed confidence that the country will persevere, and that football and sports will eventually resume as part of the fabric of America.
In the meantime, Jones believes this week's NFL Draft has been a positive outlet for people everywhere dealing with unprecedented circumstances.
"It was able to, at a time when people are hurting, at a time when people are wondering, at a time when people don't have the answers – no one does – I think the NFL and sports stepped up," Jones said. "We created a respite. We created a diversion. We created, if you will, some type of business as usual approach.
"There is no question we're going to get back as a country. There is no question. And when we do, as we always do, we'll be better than we ever were. I'm proud that we got to, last night, have something that was of that much interest.
"As we move forward and we look at the challenges other sports have, to have that opportunity to be a solace, be a respite for fans, as we look forward to it, we will learn. And we'll probably have some things that we'll go forward with that we'll probably have to pull back on. But we'll learn. And make no mistake about it, what we're doing will be a big part of the future of America."
