The ongoing drama between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has spilled over into extension talks for the latter. While Jones remains upset about the handling of Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension for an alleged domestic assault, he has stalled a contract extension for Goodell.
Most recently, Jones hired David Boies, famously (or, infamously) the lawyer for Harvey Weinstein, as he looks to add continued pressure to the compensation committee, threatening to sue the league and the six owners on the committee should they follow through with extension discussions. The most recent report from Sunday morning was that the committee would hold a conference call on Monday to discuss the extension and Goodell’s counterproposal (which is reportedly absurd), without Jones, who wasn’t on the committee but forced his way into calls.
Should Jones look to proceed with his lawsuit as threatened, it would create a very tense and hostile dynamic between he and the other owners, which begs the question of what power can they have as a group to halt him from following through.
The answer may be an extreme one, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. According to Florio, some owners have begun exploring their options with Jones, with one being a vote to force the aggressive and boisterous owner to sell the team.
A league source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that multiple owners already have been discussing the possibility, which flows from Article VIII of the NFL’s Constitution & Bylaws. Specifically, Section 8.13 authorizes the Commissioner to determine that an owner “has been or is guilty of conduct detrimental to the welfare of the League or professional football.” If the Commissioner believes the available sanction (a $500,000 fine) is “not adequate or sufficient,” the Commissioner may refer the issue to the NFL’s Executive Committee, which has the power to compel “[c]ancellation or forfeiture of the franchise in the League of any member club involved or implicated,” with a directive to sell the team.
It would be a stunning decision, and one that, as Florio notes, would be followed by years of litigation and the most intense court battles the league has maybe ever seen. Jones would, undoubtedly, fight tooth and nail to hold onto his Cowboys and other owners would risk him airing out all of the dirty laundry the NFL has by doing so.
However, what is most likely is this is a calculated leak by some to let Jones know that they too have extreme options at their disposal should he continue on as he has. Florio points out that owners are upset with Jones, not only for the lawsuit issue and stalling of Goodell’s contract (other owners have concerns about that as well), but for the allegations that it was Jones that pushed Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter, a major NFL sponsor, to rip the league over the handling of protests during the national anthem.
