Cowboys owner Jones pushing to delay Goodell extension

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pressed his threat to sue the NFL and some other club owners on Tuesday should a contract extension for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell be approved.

Jones, speaking with Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan, said he has no plans to retract his lawsuit threat and preached patience in finalizing any new deal with Goodell, whose contract expires next year.

"He has 18 months left on there. We've got all the time in the world to evaluate what we're doing," Jones said. "We've got all the time in the world to extend him.

"We just need to slow this train down and have a lot of time to discuss the issues at hand in the NFL and have a good, fair input from all the owners, which we're not getting."

Jones accuses compensation committee chairman Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, of misleading owners on "critical facts" about contract talks.

Jones denies a New York Times report that he was sent a cease-and-desist letter warning from the compensation committee after holding a conference call Monday to discuss Goodell's extension.

All NFL team owners voted in May to allow the compensation committee to negotiate terms of a contract extension with Goodell without needing further approval.

But that was three months before Goodell suspended Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy relating to domestic abuse allegations.

Since then, Jones has pressed for delaying Goodell's extension.

Other owners reportedly think Jones was behind comments by Papa John's chief executive John Schnatter blaming a decline in company revenues on falling NFL television ratings and the league's handing of national anthem kneeling protests by players.

Jones, who owns 120 Papa John's franchises in Texas, threatened to bench any Cowboys player that didn't stand for the anthem.

Goodell has refused to demand players stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the act, started last year as a protest of racial inequality and social injustice, has become an issue for US President Donald Trump.

Trump says players not standing for the anthem are insulting the nation, the flag and US soldiers. Players have said they are making a social statement only and mean no disrespect to the nation or military.

Source:AFP