ABC's "Nightline" examined Jerry Jones and the deals he has
made with companies outside the realm of NFL Properties. ABC's
Armen Keteyian: "Today, 30 teams take in $40 million each per
year from TV rights, pooling hundreds of millions more from gate
receipts and licensed products. Critics say such sharing is
socialized sport doomed to failure. Others argue it's the only
way small market clubs like the Green Bay Packers can afford to
compete with giants from New York. ... [Jones'] controversial
soft drink deals plus the signing of Sanders signify the economic
end to the old NFL. In the new league order, winners and losers
will be defined by teams that play in the stadiums that they own
and on that field, there's no bigger winner than Jerry Jones."
COMMENTS: USA TODAY columnist Brian Burwell: "You know
what's going be funny is the very same people who are complaining
about this, will be the first ones in line to make the same deals
themselves." Vikings President & CEO Roger Headrick: "Maybe
legally it's permissable, but the spirit of cooperation and
teamwork and partnership of the league has obviously, I think,
been violated." Cowboys star Emmitt Smith, on Jones: "You talk
about a rebel on the run. I mean he's bucking the system big
time." FINANCIAL WORLD's Michael Ozanian: "Jerry Jones and the
Cowboys, when all is said and done, is going to be the Harvard
case study on how to buy a franchise and how to make it
profitable and how to get the most price appreciation out of it."
FEATURED: Jones, Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen and Rick Telander
of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES were interviewed. Bowlen: "What we
have here -- and I am not opposed to it -- but what we have here
is a deliberate attempt to get more money. This thing is about
money, and let's be clear on that, it's about the Cowboys making
more money. It's not about the Denver Broncos making more money.
If Jerry wants to help the situation, then he ought to get in the
NFL Properties arena and help them promote the teams, not just
the Dallas Cowboys." Telander: "A lot of people don't have the
Cowboys' history, they're not in Texas, which is a football-mad
state, and I think a lot of people in the NFL are worried that
... someday Jerry will say we want to strike our own TV deal"
("Nightline," ABC, 9/11). Jones also appeared on "CBS This
Morning" today (CBS, 9/12).
OTHER NFL NOTES (JONES AND OTHERWISE): Troy Aikman was
interviewed during halftime of last night's Bears-Packers game.
Aikman on restructuring his contract to help get Deion Sanders:
"We're not playing Santa Claus. We will get the money at some
point in time down the road" ("Monday Night Football," ABC,
9/11)....The Vikings' Headrick said NFL owners "are trying to get
copies of [Jones'] agreements with Pepsi and Nike before taking
any action" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/12)....The 235 NFL
practice players, whose $30M jury award in '92 was overturned by
a U.S. Appeals Court, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear
the case. The players (from '89) allege that they could have
received more in salary ($5,000 a week, as opposed to $1,000) if
they had been allowed to negotiate (USA TODAY, 9/12).
