Jerry Jones officially is on notice.
According to Ken Belson of the New York Times, the six owners on the NFL’s Compensation Committee have sent a letter to the Cowboys owner telling him to cease and desist with his efforts to block Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension.
The letter mentions a range of possible sanctions, including fines, stripping of draft picks, and suspending Jones. (PFT reported on Sunday night that some owners have discussed the possibility of initiating a proceeding aimed at forcing Jones to sell the team.)
The Compensation Committee currently consists of Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, Giants co-owner John Mara, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Steelers owner Art Rooney II, and Texans owner Bob McNair.
Belson’s latest article also mentions something that PFT has consistently reported, and that others in the media have pooh-poohed: Some owners believe that Jones instigated Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter to publicly disparage the league during a recent earnings conference call, blaming reduced corporate revenues on the NFL’s current controversies and ratings declines.
The letter, sent after Monday’s conference call conducted by the Compensation Committee, surely is aimed at paving the way for finalization of Goodell’s new five-year deal by getting Jones to stop trying to recruit other owners to oppose the deal or taking other actions to frustrate the process, like following through on a threat to file a lawsuit. In May, Jones voted with all other owners to authorize the Compensation Committee to negotiate and to finalize a new five-year deal with Goodell.