In Philadelphia, Bill Lyon writes, "After all these years of
bloated success, of dominating professional sports, the NFL is
beset with serious problems. Oh, the league remains rich, and it
remains big. But beneath the surface, there is the unmistakable
odor of rot and decay." Lyon notes the suits from and against
Jerry Jones, the uprooting of franchises, "watered-down" talent,
and the "gouging" of the fan. Lyon: "The NFL used to feel like
family. But greed pervades now" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 1/23).
BROWNS NOTES: Richard Sandomir examines the legal issues
surrounding the Browns' proposed move to Baltimore. He
identifies "one possible way out" for the NFL: "Don't vote next
month. Let Cleveland's lawsuit play out. If the local court say
the Browns can't go, then the league can say its antitrust hands
are clean" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/23). Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones said
NFL owners are "powerless" to stop franchise moves without action
from Congress granting them a limited antitrust exemption
(Baltimore SUN, 1/23).
SALARY REVIEW: USA TODAY and the DALLAS MORNING NEWS both
analyze the salaries of NFL players. Today, USA TODAY examines
NFC teams and lists all NFL teams by the average paid to each
player (USA TODAY, 1/23). The MORNING NEWS, using figures
obtained from the NFLPA, lists total salaries for all teams.
They report that with signing bonuses, the Cowboys spent $60.7M
(DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/22).
