Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has threatened to sue the National Football League if a contract extension for commissioner Roger Goodell is approved by the league’s compensation committee, sources told Outside the Lines.
A team owner and a team executive told Outside the Lines that Jones has hired David Boies, the famed New York lawyer who represented Vice President Al Gore in the deadlocked 2000 presidential election — and who led the NFL’s court case during a dispute over the 2011 collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Boies has previously represented Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, who now faces numerous sexual assault allegations.
The sources told Outside the Lines that Jones has been exploring the lawsuit option through Boies if Goodell’s contract is extended after the 2018 season, as is being considered. Boies also represents DraftKings, the daily fantasy company in which Jones was an early investor.
Jones has not identified the grounds of such a lawsuit, but one source said Jones is exploring whether a requirement that two-thirds of owners must approve a commissioner’s contract could be increased to three-fourths of owners. Another source said Boies also might be asked by Jones to produce a report showing the negative economic impact that Goodell’s major decisions, including player discipline, have had on clubs.
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