Cowboys' Jerry Jones complains about Roger Goodell's power
Since the NFL's compensation committee has denied his requests to review NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's contract, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed displeasure with Goodell's power on Tuesday.
"The commissioner is very powerful," Jones said during his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
"Maybe the most powerful, relative to his constituency, of any person in the world. All owners should be holding the commissioner accountable."
According to a Wall Street Journal report on Monday, Jones' request that NFL owners be allowed a final vote of approval on Goodell's contract was denied by the league's compensation committee. That came just days after the committee also denied his request for an emergency meeting to discuss Goodell's contract.
"Every challenge, it really wouldn't be there if you knew where the outcome was and where you were going to be," Jones said on his radio appearance. "Ultimately, I think we will influence what I want to influence."
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The committee sent Jones a letter pushing him to stop disrupting the negotiations.
Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, chairman of the six-person committee, responded to Jones' request for a vote by noting that all 32 owners — including Jones — voted in May to extend Goodell's contract and authorized the committee to work out the details. In the letter, obtained by the Journal, Blank wrote to Jones that he was attempting to "to satisfy your personal agenda."
The league and Goodell have been working on a five-year deal to kick in when his current deal expires in 2019.
Jones threatened to sue the NFL over Goodell's contract, sending a letter to owners saying they had been misled in the negotiations. Jones started his push against the extension after Goodell suspended Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott six games for alleged domestic abuse.
Elliott dropped his appeal last week and will serve the remainder of his suspension. He can return for the Cowboys' penultimate game of the regular season on Dec. 24.
Contributing: Kevin Spain
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