NFL owners meetings begin today in Atlanta and among
the items to be discussed is NFL Commissioner Paul
Tagliabue's stance "in his investigation" of Browns
President & former 49ers exec Carmen Policy and Broncos
Owner Pat Bowlen for alleged salary cap violations,
according to John McClain of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE (10/31).
ESPN.com's John Clayton reported that owners are "screaming
for hard justice," as Tagliabue is in "an uneasy position"
after NBA Commissioner David Stern's ruling against the
T'Wolves, which included the loss of five first-round draft
picks and a $3.5M fine. Colts Owner Jim Irsay: "David Stern
came down hard on the Timberwolves and the salary cap has to
be taken seriously. Sentiment runs hard and deep to get
something done" (ESPN.com. 10/30).
SUPER BOWL FAVORITES: Houston, Miami and Detroit "are
expected to be awarded" the '04, '05, and '06 Super Bowls,
respectively, during the meetings (HOUSTON CHRONICLE,
10/31). ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that while the
"favorites" are Houston for '04, and Detroit for '06,
Jacksonville over Miami "might be a surprise" for the '05
Super Bowl ("Monday Night Countdown," ESPN, 10/30).
Oakland, also bidding for the '05 game, appears "out of the
running" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 10/31)
CHECKING THE ALIGNMENT: USA TODAY's Gordon Forbes
writes that the owners "will talk, and talk some more about
the difficult issue of realignment." Cowboys Owner Jerry
Jones said, "There will be some teams that have to move, and
that'll be done as fairly as we can do it." One suggestion
from Jones has the league compensating "the reluctant
movers" a percentage of their franchise value, perhaps 20%.
A team worth $500M would receive $100M from the NFL to be
realigned (USA TODAY, 10/31).
EXTRA POINT: In Boston, Greg Gatlin cites NFL Dir of
Corporate Communications Brian McCarthy as saying that the
league is talking with a "handful" of suppliers, including
Puma/LogoAthletic, Champion, adidas and Reebok about
supplying uniforms for next season (BOSTON HERALD, 10/31).
