During the 1990s, the Dallas Cowboys established themselves as one of the most feared and respected dynasties in the NFL with three Super Bowls in four years and stars such as Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, the team not only dominated on Sundays but also the headlines.
Netflix’s documentary “America’s Team: The Glamber and His Cowboys” takes an intimate look at that golden era with never-before-seen footage and unfiltered interviews, showing the team’s meteoric rise, but also its dark side. And among all those stories, there is one that not many want to touch like the famous “White House”.
What was the Dallas Cowboys’ ‘White House’ and why is it still a taboo subject?
Located in Irving, Texas, near the Cowboys’ training center, the so-called “White House” was a private refuge where several players went to disconnect, but more than an escape it became synonymous with wild parties, drugs and women.
It was a safe place to have camaraderie … Dude, I was the president of the White House
While most avoid talking about the subject, Irvin does so with a mixture of humor and honesty: “In that room, you might be smoking marijuana; in this room, they might be doing cocaine, whatever. There was a group of girls in each room and you just went from one room to another.”
Michael Irvin breaks his silence: “I was the president of the White House”
Irvin’s testimony is the only one in the documentary that really dares to narrate what happened within the walls of that residence, which gave the players a space of privacy away from the media spotlight. But not all the memories are celebratory, despite the light tone of the story, because it reflects a little-known side of the Cowboys’ sporting success.Maclain Way, co-director of the series, revealed how difficult it was to get the players of that era to talk about the subject: “We realised very quickly that nobody wanted to go near it, when we mentioned it, Michael was the only one who said: ‘I was the president’.
The Cowboys’ story of the 1990s continues to fascinate for its mix of talent, drama and controversy. Years later, the echo of “White House” still resonates as part of a legacy that is measured not only in trophies, but also in decisions that marked a whole generation of players
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