With Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at odds with the league and other team owners over a contract extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell, PFT reported last weekend that NFL owners have discussed the possibility of allowing the NFL Executive Committee to consider the “cancellation or forfeiture” of the Cowboys franchise if Jones is found guilty of conduct detrimental to the league.
The league sent a letter to Jones’ attorney this week saying that Jones’ threat of a lawsuit and other actions could be “conduct detrimental” to the league, but Jones has called the notion of forfeiting his franchise “ridiculous.” An anonymous team owner used the same word when discussing that option with Mark Maske of the Washington Post, adding that the most the league would do is fine Jones.
“I don’t know where this is coming from about stripping him of his franchise,” the unnamed owner said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s not going to happen. . . . If he files a lawsuit, he could be subject to attorney fees and maybe a fine.” (Without knowing the identity of the owner, it’s impossible to know whether the owner is currently aligned with Jones’ effort to block Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension, or opposed to Jones.)
A report this week indicated that other owners have joined Jones in wanting to slow down the push to get an extension done with Goodell, and there’s obviously a split among the 32 team owners about how to proceed on that issue. It would stand to reason that there’s also a split on how to deal with Jones, but taking punitive options off the table would do little to get Jones under control at a time when some regard his “antics” to be over the top.