The Wall Street Journal reports the tension has grown so severe that the topic of removing Mr. Jones has been discussed by at least some owners, according to people familiar with the matter. That type of drastic action would require the league showing conduct detrimental to the league—which is exactly the language the league used in a letter sent to Jones’s attorney, David Boies, on Wednesday.
The letter, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, says Jones’s “antics, whatever their motivation, are damaging the League.”
That letter was shared with all of the league’s 32 owners. It was in response to a Tuesday letter from Boies, who wrote that “Mr. Jones is in possession of a document that shows that certain statements made about those negotiations are not accurate.”
In a radio interview Tuesday on CBS Radio's KRLD 105.3 FM The Fan, Jones described any chatter about his ouster “ridiculous.” A spokesman for the Cowboys didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The conflict marks a dramatic reversal for Mr. Jones, who in a matter of weeks has gone from being one of football’s most influential figures to one who is effectively ostracized from the league. It also raised the specter of a protracted civil war within the league, which has been largely unified since a series of legal battles with the late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis a generation ago.
Throughout the season, Mr. Jones has sharply criticized Mr. Goodell’s discipline of Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott over violations of the league’s personal conduct policy related to alleged domestic violence. Mr. Jones and the NFL Players Association have called the suspension unfair and criticized how the investigation was conducted.
No comments:
Post a Comment