The biggest drama in the NFL in mid-November has nothing to do with what’s happening on the field in divisional races for playoff position, but between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. From rumors that Jones was the impetus behind Papa John’s ripping the league for handling of protests during the anthem to Jones’ anger with Goodell’s handling of Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension, their feud has many (at times strange) layers.
The ongoing battle between Jones and Goodell over the latter’s contract extension has escalated tremendously in recent weeks, with the threat of potential legal battles on the horizon. Jones threatened to sue the league and the owners on the compensation committee after hiring Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer David Boies.
In response, there was a report that owners were looking into what their possible options were for retaliation should Jones continue his efforts to stall Goodell’s extension. The most severe of those is an NFL rule that provides the opportunity for the other 31 owners to vote to force him to sell, should his conduct be deemed so detrimental to the league that a $500,000 maximum fine isn’t worthy enough.
The latest update from the Wall Street Journal indicates the league is taking the necessary steps towards a punishment for Jones, whether it’s a fine or the far more severe vote that’s been discussed. On Wednesday, the NFL sent Jones and his attorney a letter indicating that Jones’ “antics” have been detrimental to the league.
The NFL accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of trying to sabotage its contract negotiations with commissioner Roger Goodell, calling his conduct “detrimental to the league’s best interests.”
That language, included in a letter sent to Jones’s attorney on Wednesday and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, escalates a growing conflict between the league and one of its most powerful owners. The letter says Jones’s “antics, whatever their motivation, are damaging the League.”
The letter is a direct response to Boies and Jones’ threat to sue the league and “expose” documents about Goodell’s extension to the rest of the NFL owners. The league’s letter asks Jones to drop “misguided litigation threats” against the league and the committee, per the Wall Street Journal.
In his response, the league’s outside counsel, Brad Karp, wrote that Boies’s letter is “yet another effort by your client to disregard and interfere” with the owners’ unanimous resolution in May to give Goodell a contract extension. The letter says “there is no legitimate basis for Mr. Jones to circulate to the full ownership a three-month-old document” that “Mr. Jones personally knows to be an outdated, historical artifact of no relevance whatsoever in the context of these lengthy negotiations.”
“With due respect,” the letter says, “we urge Mr. Jones to drop his misguided litigation threats and media campaign to undermine the Committee’s mandate.”
Jones and Boies have not responded to the letter, but it’s clear that the league is ready to fight back against Jones should he continue to push against Goodell’s extension. As for the rest of the owners, the Journal reports Jones’ crusade has backfired, with owners instead being galvanized in support of the compensation committee and getting the deal done.
