Jerry Jones is determined to overthrow Roger Goodell, even if it means taking legal action against other NFL owners who are on the league's compensation committee, Sports Illustrated reported, citing two sources.
One source said the Dallas Cowboys owner made his intentions clear during a conference call with the six owners of the committee earlier in November, per SI.
The discussion concerned a proposal that could see the NFL commissioner's contract extended to 2024 and, according to the source, Jones announced he would file litigation against the committee should the contract be extended.
"There is little question in my mind that Jerry Jones wants to overthrow Roger Goodell," the source told Sports Illustrated.
Another source who heard the call added, “I’m shocked. I’m disappointed. We may have differences, Jerry, but this is not the way we resolve them. This is not the way we do things in the NFL.”
According to the sources, the general feelings among the committee were shock and disbelief.
“This was an owner [Jones] who, earlier this year, voted in favor of authorizing the committee to do the deal with Roger,” the source said, per SI. “He was still in favor early in August.”
Things have changed since then, Bleacher Report said, most notably his disagreement on Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension.
According to Bleach Report, Jones also felt Goodell was being compensated far too much.
ESPN reported a source saying that Goodell’s last written counterproposal sought about $49.5 million per year and included the lifetime use of a private jet.
The New York Times reported that Jones, a non-voting member of the compensation committee, hired a lawyer to put pressure on the committee to change Goodell’s deal.