Jerry Jones To Testify Monday
via the Sports Xchange
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that he will testify in front of commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday in the appeal hearing in Palm Beach, Fla.
Jones declared on Friday that he will be under oath as he bids to reverse the league’s request for reimbursement of legal fees in excess of $2 million. The fees are related to Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension over a domestic violence incident and Jones’ threatened litigation over Goodell’s contract extension.
The Cowboys filed a letter of support in the Elliott case as the running back fought the NFL’s suspension. Jones threatened to sue the league and retained David Boies over Goodell’s contract but never made a filing as part of the extension negotiations for the commissioner.
NFL owners are citing a rule — Resolution FC-6 — that was introduced in 1997 that says if an owner participates in bringing litigation against other owners, he must reimburse them for the legal fees.
The New York Times reported several owners support the fine against Jones and that the commissioner pursued the action after they “believed that Jones had crossed an unspoken boundary by threatening his colleagues.”
In November, Jones said he was prepared to sue the six owners serving on the league’s compensation committee.
Jones eventually backed down on his threats of a lawsuit but during a league meeting in December, he was criticized for his behavior by other owners. Most of those owners agreed to give Goodell a five-year extension that could pay him as much as $200 million.
Elliott was suspended in August and Jones said he did not deserve to get penalized for an incident that occurred while at Ohio State. After a back-and-forth court battle, the second-year running back’s on-again, off-again suspension was reinstated on Nov. 9. Three days later, Elliott accepted the punishment.
While Elliott was appealing, Jones was trying to persuade league owners that Goodell’s contract extension should be significantly less than what was proposed, the Times said.
