Over the course of the NFL’s Ezekiel Elliot domestic violence saga, which finally wrapped up last week when Elliot’s appeal for an injunction was denied (again), another controversy has unfolded in parallel: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ war against Roger Goodell. The contempt that Jones holds for the commissioner is no secret, though I and many others were still shocked when we learned that Jones has been gunning to have Goodell removed from power. Exactly what’s going on is still unclear, but it appears Jones is fighting his fellow owners over Goodell’s proposed contract extension. Unpopular as Goodell is with many fans and players alike, his job security is pretty safe; Jones’ war is not one he will win, and if he knows best, he’ll quit before he gets himself – and his team – into serious trouble.
I understand Jones’ frustration over the way the league handled his star running back’s domestic violence case. With most of the incriminating testimony against Elliot having been recanted, it seems pretty unfair that he’s serving a six-game suspension. When you add to that the constant legal back and forth that finally got resolved eight weeks into the season, the whole situation looks like a big mess. But the league has an image problem, and suspending Elliot makes sense from a public relations perspective; at the very least, Jones should appreciate the message the league is sending. He should also appreciate that, given just how miserably the league has botched such cases in the past, many people aren’t going to be receptive to the his and Cowboys’ fans complaints. Blasting Goodell and fighting the other teams’ owners over his job security because the league cracked down on alleged domestic assault isn’t going to win Jones any support. In fact, it’s done the opposite: It has not only created a distraction for a very average Cowboys team chasing the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles, but it has also led to speculation that Jones himself might be forced out.
Jones, being the egomaniac that he is, has never been good at staying out of the spotlight and delegating power to people who know best; I believe it’s a big part of the reason the Cowboys were so mediocre for so long during his tenure. Heading into Week 11 of the season, the Cowboys don’t have time for the media distractions that the Jones story has created. Just one game above .500, they should be completely focused on winning games. Instead, the dominant headlines have been about the loud-mouthed owner and his lone-man fight against Roger Goodell. That’s not good. And while I know asking Jerry Jones to stop running his mouth is like asking Brock Osweiler to go a whole game without throwing an interception, it needs to happen.
Because if it doesn’t – if Jones continues on this mission, which will surely end in vain – he may end up losing his team. Now, I think the likelihood that Jones actually gets forced out over his fight with Goodell is really low. But the fact we even have to talk about it isn’t a good sign. Jones is powerful, sure. But so are the other owners, and they stand behind Goodell. If Jones keeps it up, and things get really ugly, I’m not so sure the other owners will save him.
Contact Andrew Ziperski at ajzip ‘at’ stanford.edu.