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Forget the petty LeBron vs. Kyrie drama we had so much fun with over the summer. The new drama hotness is now in the NFL with Jerry Jones vs. Roger Goodell.
On Sunday it was reported that NFL owners were having discussions about removing Jones as an owner and forcing him to sell the Dallas Cowboys.
These rumors stem from the fact that Jones has basically been a giant pain in the rear this year over anthem protests, Ezekiel Elliot’s on and off and on again suspension, allegedly pushing the CEO of Papa John’s to discredit Goodell, and threatening to sue the NFL over giving Goodell a new contract extension.
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.
On Monday, Ken Belson of the New York Times reported that the owners of the Falcons, Chiefs, Giants, Patriots, Steelers and Texans issued a warning to Jones to cease his efforts to block Goodell’s contract extension.
On Tuesday, Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan and said that any talk of other NFL owners forcing him to sell the Cowboys was “laughable.”
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan on report he may be ousted – “I’ve had NOT ONE inkling of communication with the league office or any owner that would suggest something that laughable and ridiculous."
— Roy White III (@RDubThree) November 14, 2017
Jones also denied Belson’s report that other NFL owners have warned him about possible consequences if he doesn’t stop interfering in the negotiations with Roger Goodell.
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan – “Roger has almost 18 months left…We’ve got all the time in the world to evaluate what we’re doing, and all the time in the world to extend him. We just need to slow this train down and…discuss the issues at hand in the NFL."
— Roy White III (@RDubThree) November 14, 2017
Regardless of what Jones does, or what happens to him in response, it seems pretty likely that Goodell will be given his extension to remain the NFL’s Commissioner. It just probably won’t be for the $50 million a year he allegedly has been asking for to do it.
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