Report: Roger Goodell expected to fine Jerry Jones millions of dollars

The Dallas Cowboys became entangled in what would be two major public storylines throughout the year in 2017. There was the suspension of Ezekiel Elliott and the impending fight, un-suspensions, re-suspensions, legal battles, throughout the first-half of the year.

Then Jerry Jones threatened to sue the NFL, Roger Goodell, and basically everyone that supported him. It was the makings of a civil war that ultimately fizzled when Goodell’s new contract was approved.

The story was seemingly over, but not really as we now see. The New York Times reported on Monday that Roger Goodell is expected to fine Jerry Jones millions of dollars for conduct detrimental to the league.

With the support of many N.F.L. owners, Commissioner Roger Goodell is prepared to escalate his public feud with Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys and long one of the most influential people in the league, by fining him millions of dollars for his efforts to derail negotiations to renew Goodell’s contract and for his outspoken defense of a star player who was suspended, according to five league officials with direct knowledge of the situation.

Immediately one starts to wonder who the NFL owners are that are supporting Roger Goodell in this cause, but then one remembers Goodell has had support in this fight all along. The “all along” in question is a great length of time that covered many a battle in court, all of which Jerry Jones is going to be expected to pick up the tab for.

Jones will be ordered to pay the legal fees that the committee incurred defending itself, as well as the legal expenses the N.F.L. spent defending its decision to suspend Elliott.

The HBO classic The Wire is famous for birthing the “You come at the king, you best not miss” line, and that’s what this drips of. Jerry Jones took a swing at Roger Goodell throughout the 2017 season (when Goodell was vulnerable with protest issues circling the league), Goodell survived, Goodell got stronger, and Roger is now raining down on Jerry with all sorts of ammunition.

It seemed like the whole saga was over when Elliott accepted his suspension the week that the Cowboys traveled to face the Atlanta Falcons (Jerry and Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who’s on the compensation committee Jerry attacked, infamously avoided each other) the week that their season broke. Apparently, Roger Goodell was not done.

At this point neither the NFL nor the Cowboys are commenting on this report. The fallout won’t be fully known until something official is presented by the NFL, and then we’ll have to see Jerry’s response.