NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is preparing to fine Cowboys owner Jerry Jones millions of dollars for conduct detrimental to the league, Ken Belson of the New York Times reports.
Jones sought to derail Goodell’s contract negotiations with the league after the commissioner suspended Cowboys star running Ezekiel Elliott for six games.
According to the Times, Goodell was reluctant to penalize Jones to avoid the appearance that he was seeking revenge for the Cowboys owner trying to oust him as commissioner. But several owners have pushed the NFL office to fine Jones, who they believe “crossed an unspoken boundary by threatening his colleagues.”
Jones hired high-profiled attorney David Boies in November, threatening to sue the six owners on the league’s compensation committee after it became clear Goodell would get a new deal without needing the approval of the other owners.
The newspaper reports the league will order Jones to pay the legal fees of the committee, as well as the legal expenses the NFL spent defending its decision to suspend Elliott. Elliott took the NFL to court but ended up serving the six-game suspension after eventually hitting a roadblock in the legal process.
Jones was outspoken in his belief that the league should not have suspended Elliott.
UPDATE 7:50 p.m. ET: The NFL has announced that the payment sought from Jones won’t be a fine but a reimbursement of legal fees.