I agree that the manner in which Tex treated the players in regard to salaries was not exactly in keeping with the reputation they were selling the public. It's a shame that the players responsible for building the empire were not treated with more respect. I normally hate this reasoning to justify behavior, but....it is fair to point out that, while there were others who made more than individual players for the Cowboys, players in general were underpaid and now are largely ignored in terms of compensation. Do you know how much it breaks my heart to see Tony Dorsett on American Gladiators (the original series) or to hear Randy White shilling for a gambling website or any other number of Cowboys who have to lower themselves to consort with cheesy companies to try to make a buck off of their glory days? It's so sad and wrong.
There have been efforts recently to improve the conditions of those who are suffering as a result of the weekly trauma to which they subjected their bodies while playing in the league. That is good and overdue. But what is right in the world when JeMarcus Russell gets $61 million and you have ex-NFLers living under bridges? Granted, that is the exception, but what is not the exception is former players who did not throw their money away on booze, drugs, cars, and whatnot, and they are tapped out due to any number of circumstances, not the least of which was that they didn't earn enough money in their playing days.
Nowadays, with the money being thrown at players who have done nothing on an NFL field to justify it, and with the push by the commissioner to restructure rookie contracts to fairly compensate veterans, now would be a good time to look at increasing pensions for those on whose shoulders the current players are standing.
The Ring of Honor is great, but put his name where it belongs - on the OUTSIDE of the stadium.