Jerry Jones can claim all he wants that his opposition to Roger Goodell’s contract extension has nothing to do with Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension, but all of the evidence indicates otherwise.
In an investigative piece that examines the crumbling relationship between Jones and Goodell, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. illustrated how angry Jones was in August when the commissioner called to inform him that Elliott would receive a six-game ban. According to the writers’ sources, Jones issued an animated threat to Goodell.
Here’s more:
The line went quiet. Seconds passed. Goodell’s decision was an unconscionable violation of trust, Jones later told associates, because he believed that the commissioner had assured him this past spring that there would be no suspension. Jones saw in Elliott a genuine opportunity, a player so good that he had made Jones believe that this year he just might win a Super Bowl for the first time since 1996. His anger was palpable. Finally, according to sources with direct knowledge of the call, Jones broke the silence. He aimed his words not only at Goodell’s decision but also at his role as judge, jury and executioner in the case.
“I’m gonna come after you with everything I have,” Jones said. Then he mentioned Deflategate. “If you think Bob Kraft came after you hard, Bob Kraft is a p—y compared to what I’m going to do.”
Either Jones was delusional in the months leading up to Elliott’s suspension, or something changed. He made comments on numerous occasions indicating that he truly believed there would be no disciplinary action against the star running back.
Jones insists that his issues with Goodell’s proposed extension are more about the absurd compensation the commissioner is reportedly demanding than anything having to do with Elliott’s case. That becomes harder to believe by the day.
