Jerry Jones spent a good portion of the 2017 season trying to stand in the way of Roger Goodell signing a contract extension with the NFL, and the commissioner is now planning to make Jones pay for it.
According to a report from Ken Belson of the New York Times, Goodell is expected to fine Jones millions in the coming weeks for what will be described as conduct detrimental to the league. That conduct includes Jones’ efforts to derail Goodell’s contract discussions in addition to the 75-year-old’s public defense of Ezekiel Elliott after the Cowboys running back was suspended.
League officials told Belson that Goodell was hesitant to give off the impression that he has a personal vendetta against Jones, but several owners believe Jones “crossed an unspoken boundary by threatening his colleagues” if they did not give him his way regarding Goodell’s extension. Jones said in November that he was prepared to sue the six-owner compensation committee that he and his fellow owners voted to assemble and tasked with working out the terms of Goodell’s new deal.
As part of his fine, Jones will reportedly be ordered to reimburse the other NFL owners for the compensation committee’s legal fees in preparing to defend itself against him, as well as legal expenses the NFL incurred in defending the decision to suspend Elliott.
Even after Jones’ fellow owners basically shoved him aside and finalized Goodell’s new contract, Jones hinted that he was not done fighting to make life difficult for the commissioner. The feud could turn even uglier if and when Goodell issues the fine.
