NFL owners negotiating a contract extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell are accelerating talks to "quell an insurgent, unusually public threat" by the Cowboys' Jerry Jones to "scuttle the deal," according to sources. The owners are "pushing to complete the terms in a matter of weeks." The NFL compensation committee is meeting tomorrow to discuss "when to finish the extension." Sources said that Goodell's package was 80-90% done, with "only a handful of minor details yet to be finished" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/11). ESPN's Adam Schefter said increasingly, there are "some concerns amongst NFL owners about the terms of the contract and what it will take on in the future" (“Sunday NFL Countdown,” ESPN, 11/12). CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora said there are people advising Goodell to "sign it and sign it now." Jones has "maybe three owners tops in his corner," and the "vast majority want to move forward” (“That Other Pregame Show,” CBSSN, 11/12).
Jones on a Nov. 2 conference call with the committee said that he had "papers drawn up” to sue the league in the event that the current proposed Goodell deal was finalized. Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, who chairs the committee, said he was "shocked" and "disappointed," according to a source. Blank reportedly said in his response to Jones, "This is not the way we do things in the NFL” (SI.com, 11/12).
