Jones in November said he was prepared to sue the six owners on the league’s compensation committeeGETTY IMAGES
The NFL "plans to seek payment" of more than $2M from Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones for his actions last year related to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension and the suspension of Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott, according to sources cited by Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. Sources said that Jones’ sanction is an "effort by the league and other owners to recoup legal expenses incurred by the owners’ compensation committee and the league." One source said that it would "amount to a fine of Jones by the NFL, which has accused Jones of conduct detrimental to the league." The league long has had a provision that "any owner who takes legal action against fellow owners must pay both sides’ legal expenses, and this action being taken to punish Jones was said to come at the behest of several owners." Beginning in November, some owners "urged the league to consider disciplinary action against Jones." Those measures "could have included a fine, a suspension or the loss of a draft pick or picks" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/27). In N.Y., Ken Belson notes Goodell will "declare that Jones’s actions were detrimental to the league, which rarely shows such acute signs of acrimony among owners and the commissioner’s office." Goodell has been "reluctant to be seen as exacting retribution for the way Jones tried to sabotage his contract talks, but he was urged to bring the penalties by several owners who believed that Jones had crossed an unspoken boundary by threatening his colleagues." Jones in November "hired the high-profile lawyer David Boies and said he was prepared to sue the six owners on the league’s compensation committee, which had been working for months on extending Goodell’s contract" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/27).
SUPPORTING OTHER OWNERS: In Dallas, David Moore writes it is "not enough for Goodell to win the battle," but he must also "support the owners who stood behind him." He must "assert his authority." If Goodell "doesn't take action, what's to keep Jones or another owner from coming after him on another issue down the road?" Goodell "doesn't have to destroy or humiliate the Cowboys' owner, but there must be a proportional response" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/27). ESPN's Adam Schefter noted Jones "did not make many friends amongst NFL owners this past year," as there were "many that were disappointed, upset, angered by some of the acts that he engaged in" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/26).
UNNECESSARY MOVE: In Dallas, Matt Mosley writes under the header, "The NFL Is Stupid If It Asks Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones To Repay Millions Of Dollars." The members of the NFL's compensation committee, led by Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, have "already won the public battle." If Goodell "had backbone," he would "use the security of his recent contract extension and "convince the other owners to stand down." This situation is the "epitome of petty behavior at a time when the league has already suffered enough embarrassment over declining ratings and the controversy over the national anthem" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/27). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "It's vengeful and I believe it's petty, and Roger Goodell, if he wants, can hide behind the fact that other owners want this to happen. But Roger Goodell is gladly rubbing Jerry Jones' nose in it like a dog” (“PTI,” ESPN, 2/26). ESPN's Scott Van Pelt said the move "feels petty and boring, frankly because it's just scorekeeping among billionaires" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/26). ESPN's Adnan Virk said, "Do you know how much money [Jones] has made [for the other owners] by virtue of the fact that the Cowboys are the league's signature franchise, and you are that petty and want a couple million dollars back? That feels really small time" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 2/27). Former NFLer T.J. Houshmandzadeh: "This is above our heads right here. You’ve got one billion-dollar guy suing the other billion-dollar guy because we don't like what he did” (“Speak for Yourself,” FS1, 2/26). ESPN's Will Cain: "This is billionaires measuring whose got more power" ("First Take," ESPN, 2/27).
WHY BRING THIS BACK UP? FS1's Jason Whitlock said, "I thought we were moving away from war and trying to move forward in football and start tweaking and fixing the game." FS1's Eric Dickerson: "Let it go. ... This is already a black eye" ("Speak For Yourself," FS1, 2/26). ESPN's Kornheiser: "This story had gone away. Why is the league resuscitating it?" ("PTI," ESPN, 2/26). In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw wonders what the league is "gaining in its attempt to recoup its fees." No league in the history of sports has "ever been so awash in profits while constantly shooting itself in the foot" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/27).
TWITTER REAX: The MMQB's Andrew Brandt tweeted "three thoughts"on the story: "(1) Goodell's contract must be signed/sealed; (2) this is more from other owners than Goodell, and (3) NFL's lawyers must be charging thousands an hour." The MMQB's Albert Breer: "The decades-old rule has been applied in the past. This one's a little different b/c of the big dollar figure and the acrimony involved in these cases." Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab: "I don't think fining Jerry Jones a huge amount on a flimsy premise really builds any confidence in the job Roger Goodell is doing there." Twitter personality Shauna Wright wrote of Jones, "By far the worst thing about him is he’s making me root for Roger Goodell."
