AFL owners and the AFL Players Organizing Committee
negotiated a six-year Basic Agreement on Thursday night
"that lets players become free agents sooner while giving"
owners a salary cap, according to Mike Terry of the L.A.
TIMES. Owners will vote on the deal today, while the
players "will begin voting" later this week. If ratified,
the deal would reduce players' free agent eligibility from
eight years to four; expand players' medical benefits to
include medical, dental and long-term disability coverage;
and raise the average player's salary and win bonuses from
$25,000 to $35,000, while increasing team payroll from
$540,000 to $700,000. In exchange, the players agreed to a
salary cap, at $1.375M per team for next season, including
players' salaries, win bonuses, player health and insurance
coverage and a player housing allowance (L.A. TIMES, 7/15).
COWBOY IN THE FOLD? The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's John
Lombardo writes that Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "appears to
be on the verge of buying into" the AFL (see THE DAILY,
5/31) in a deal that would include his two sons, Jerry Jr.
and Stephen. AFL Commissioner David Baker: "Things are
moving closer" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/17 issue).
