Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, who played key roles in the negotiation of a new NFL CBA, appeared together on PBS’ “Charlie Rose” last night, with host Charlie Rose saying, “Most people will tell you that without these two people, there would have been no agreement.” Jones called the agreement “historic,” and said, “The thing that you can do is read the terms of the deal, but what you won't see is the kind of leadership that was involved from the owners' perspective.” Jones: “Everybody was certainly unified, and we all had one goal in mind and that was rather than before it goes over the cliff -- like we wish we had had done in this country 10 years ago -- make the changes now in the business model that will grow the pie, because it's too great a game. It's too great for our fans and it's a wonderful opportunity for everybody involved. And this deal accomplished that. To everyone's credit, it was a tough negotiated deal but … it also is structured in a way that causes the teams to do their part in growing the pie." More Jones, “It took a lot of effort. But to the players' credit and to their leadership's credit, everybody saw that if we would do certain things economically, it would mean the players get more money in the long run, which will be great for our fans.” Richardson said the negotiation among the owners “was a classic collaborative effort, unlike maybe any I’ve ever known in business.” He said, “We had 22 owners that entrusted their teams to a committee of 10 to represent them, and throughout the entire process -- it started in May of 2008 -- we were prepared financially, legally. … We were united and we were resolute. And some of us on the committee have gotten really more credit than we deserve. I haven't really heard much conversation about those 22 owners that had confidence to turn over us representing them.”
RE-INVESTING INTO THE GAME: Jones said what was “important is that you have a plan in place that takes a big part” of the league’s revenue and “re-invests it back into the game -- new stadiums, specifically.” The deal “encourages and incentivizes teams” to invest in new stadiums. The players, by having a “bigger pie, will see that the role that clubs play, see that they have the incentive, they're making the investment, they're building the stadiums, they're putting together the sales teams that go out and generate revenue. That means more money for the players, and that's a healthier model” (“Charlie Rose,” PBS, 8/23).
