A kid who grew up without shoes in Zimbabwe, hunting squirrels for food, claims he has just claimed a seat at one of the most powerful tables in American sports. A seat right alongside Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The claim comes at a time when the NFL’s ownership structure has begun to shift. Until recently, teams were owned almost exclusively by individuals or family groups. That changed in August 2024, when league owners voted 31–1 to pass Resolution JC-7, allowing private equity firms to acquire up to a 10% stake in a franchise without voting power, a change that has opened limited new pathways into the league’s tightly guarded ownership circles. It is against that backdrop that the former defensive end made his announcement.

“Today, I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude and tears of joy-to have been unanimously approved as an owner of the Dallas Cowboys,” former Atlanta Falcons DE Stansly Maponga posted on Instagram on Tuesday (March 9).

While his latest achievement appears to be an unprecedented and proud first, Maponga has been shattering glass ceilings since a very young age.

“I am the first Zimbabwean NFL player, first Zimbabwean drafted, and now first Zimbabwean-born NFL owner–not because I am extraordinary, but because I refused to let anyone define what was possible for a kid who started with nothing but faith and relentless hunger.”

In 2013, Maponga made history as the first Zimbabwean player ever drafted in the NFL, when the Falcons selected him in the fifth round, 153rd overall. He arrived as a raw, athletic pass-rusher out of Texas Christian University. Now, according to Maponga himself, he has become the first Zimbabwean-born owner of an NFL franchise.

If true, this would be a huge leap, from practice squad to ownership stake, in one of the most expensive and exclusive organizations in the world. However, neither the league nor the Cowboys organization has publicly confirmed or commented on Maponga’s ownership claim.

No major American sports outlet has independently reported the development. The announcement exists, for now, solely through Maponga’s own social media post.

That said, Maponga did not keep his gratitude vague. He addressed the key figures in the NFL’s ownership approval process by name.

“Special thanks to my Management Committee representatives who were instrumental in making this possible. I also extend deep gratitude to Jerry Jones and the Jones family for welcoming me into their family, and the tireless work they’ve done to build the organization billions love. Thank you to Commissioner Goodell for his support, and all NFL owners who championed my dream. I’m forever grateful,” Maponga further wrote.

​For Maponga, the pro career that preceded this claim was anything but smooth. He always said his purpose extended beyond himself, that every game he played sent a message back to Zimbabwe that the impossible was possible. His professional career, however, was short and largely spent on the fringes of rosters.

Maponga spent three seasons in the league, appearing in 26 regular-season games across stints with the Falcons and the Giants. But without a single start. His career stats: eight tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and two fumble recoveries. 

Still, in 2017, the Dallas Cowboys signed Maponga to their practice squad. He never made it to the active roster and was released in November 2017. He signed with the Denver Broncos that same year, but they released him before the 2018 season began.

After that, his path ran through the XFL’s Seattle Dragons and the CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks before his playing days wound down entirely.

Now, Maponga is stepping into something much larger than any contract he signed as a player. If his claim is accurate, then this is how it became possible.

The rule change that could have made Stansly Maponga’s claim possible

Maponga, who lists himself as CEO of Business Center International on his LinkedIn profile, falls squarely within the category of investors that the new resolution, JC-7, targets. Under the terms of the resolution, any firm or individual entering the ownership structure must follow three key rules:

• The investor must acquire and hold at least 3% of the franchise.
• The investor cannot hold stakes in more than six NFL teams.
• Every investment must be maintained for a minimum of six years.

However, such private equity ownership is currently capped at 10% and cannot go beyond that. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed exactly that ceiling at Leaders Week London in October 2025.

“Will there be discussions about going above ten per cent? Maybe someday, but I think for right now, it’s working quite well. We’re still just a year into it, so I think we’ll learn a little bit more, and then we’ll decide,” Goodell said.

​All this shows a deliberate direction the league has been moving in for several years now. The league did it for Tom Brady to acquire a minority stake in the Raiders. It has welcomed NBA legends like Magic Johnson into the Washington Commanders’ ownership group. ​

So, if Maponga’s claim is confirmed, it would not follow the same blueprint as the others. But it would be something rarer: a former practice squad player, born in Zimbabwe, working his way into an ownership stake in the most valuable sports franchise in the world.