Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones yesterday said RB Ezekiel Elliott is a "victim of an over-correction" by the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell in his pending six-game suspension. Jones, appearing on Dallas-based KRLD-FM, said he was “very troubled" by the “swing of judgement” from Goodell in Elliott's case compared to former Ravens RB Ray Rice, who initially received a two-game suspension from Goodell for a domestic incident in '14. Jones said the difference has been "unbelievable," noting Rice's suspension and “all the way up to a six-game suspension (for Elliott) when you’ve truly got a debate (about his innocence).” Jones: “Two years ago this wouldn’t be an issue, before Ray Rice this wouldn’t have been an issue because the commissioner shows where he really wants to come down when he did Ray Rice." Meanwhile, Jones said when starting to talk about a contract extension for Goodell, or "you start talking about compensation, all of that’s the same conversation." Jones: "To have that discussion, I can show many positive things that ... Roger has done, is doing, and I can show you some things that he wants to take back" ("Shan & RJ," KRLD-FM, 10/31). SI's Peter King notes Jones is a "leader among the league's owners, and his opposition to the commissioner may be telling." One ownership source said that Jones "wouldn't be going to such great lengths if he didn't think he could affect at least the final number" on Goodell's contract extension. The source added that he thought Goodell "would react badly to taking a significant pay cut" (SI, 11/6 issue). BLEACHER REPORT's Mike Freeman wrote Jones is a "formidable adversary, but remember something important -- Goodell has allies among the owners." Not as many "as he once did, and the relationship between Goodell and those allies isn't unbreakable, but Goodell has friends." And that means he "isn't going anywhere, anytime soon" (BLEACHERREPORT.com, 10/31).
POWER STRUGGLE: FS1's Jason Whitlock said it is "time to hold" Goodell accountable, and he does not blame Jones and "other owners who say Roger has a lot of messes." Whitlock: "They pay this guy $40 million a year. Hell yeah I'd criticize him." But FS1's Seth Joyner said the owners "wanted Goodell to run the league, and that's what he's done." Joyner: "Everybody's going to make some mistakes in judgement, and he's done that. Where was Jerry Jones, was he on his soap box and pedestal when Tom Brady got his four-game suspension?" Joyner added the "problem" is that the NFL gave Goodell the power, and "how do you punish against that? ... He's doing what you asked him to do" ("Speak for Yourself," FS1, 10/1). FS1's Skip Bayless said Goodell is "trying to save face" and make an example of Elliott "without credible or conclusive proof." Goodell is "over-correcting what he didn't do with Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and then with Josh Brown." FS1's Shannon Sharpe said Jones "had no problem" with Goodell's ruling on Deflategate, but now Goodell "came knocking on his door and now all of a sudden, he has too much power." Sharpe: "I get it, Jerry. You're right, if this was in a normal society, but the NFL is different. The CBA is the law of the land that you ratified with the other 31 owners" ("Undisputed," FS1, 11/1).
STRONG WORDS: USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes on the surface, it seems Jones "wants Goodell’s head on a platter because of his handling of Elliott’s case." Then again, as Jones "intimates that Goodell is in over-reaction mode because he originally went soft" on Ray Rice, it is "hardly the first time that Goodell has been under fire." But it is news now because a day after a judge "rejected Elliott’s attempt for a preliminary injunction to block the suspension," Jones has "fired off on Goodell." Given that Goodell collects more than $40M a year in salary and bonuses from the NFL, it is "possible Jones would have objected to the terms of an extension if there were never an Elliott case in the wind." Bell: "Still, at the moment, it looks like some major payback aimed at Goodell" (USA TODAY, 11/1). In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes the NFL "exists in a world where they don't like it when special interest groups attack them and threaten their bottom line." In Elliott's case, "you will not see any women's groups marching on Park Avenue." Cowlishaw: "Their side won. The side of innocent until proven guilty lost" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/1).
TWITTER REAX: FS1's Skip Bayless tweeted, "Jerry Jones is exactly right: the NFL 'overcorrected' after RayRice debacle, now trying to make an example of Zeke w/o conclusive proof." ESPN the Magazine's Don Van Natta Jr.: "Jones applauded Goodell’s punishment of Tom Brady in Deflategate, which we reported was 'an over-correction' by Goodell for Spygate." SI's Michael McCann: "Elliott faced long odds in trying to overcome the Tom Brady ruling. Maybe Jerry Jones now regrets supporting Goodell in Deflategate?" CBS Sports Radio's John Kincade: "Jones now depicts Zeke as a 'victim.' I hope this gets the same 'outrage' a poor figure of speech did for Bob McNair."
