Jerry Jones was drilled with a six-figure fine for violating the NFL’s gag order on talking about Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.
According to Chris Mortensen at ESPN, the league didn’t take kindly to Jones remarking on September 4 that, “Right now, we are subsidizing [the Minnesota] market. It’s unthinkable to think that you’ve got the market you -- got here 3 1/2 million people -- and have teams like Kansas City and Green Bay subsidizing the market. That will stop. That’s going to stop. That’s on its way out.”
While a gag order is a gag order, the league no doubt feels Jones’ statements were even more in need of stifling because they reveal a schism among ownership about revenue sharing. With the NFLPA making a big deal about owners needing to have their own house in order during the 2006 CBA negotiations, the union will certainly seize on this apparent discord again.
On Friday, the league hinted to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal that Jones may be fin line for a fine.
Turns out that he was.