Jerry Jones To Contest Roger Goodell’s Demand For $2 Million In Fees

Roger Goodell announced Monday that he is demanding more than $2 million in payments from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and Jones is preparing to fight back against the NFL commissioner.

Roger Goodell vs. Jerry Jones feud news

The Washington Post’s Mark Maske and NFL.com’s Judy Battista both reported Tuesday that Jones is vying for a hearing with Goodell in the latest development of the escalating feud between the league’s two veteran executives.

The fees reportedly relate to Jones’ attempts to derail negotiations over Goodell’s contract renewal, as well as the Cowboys owner’s repeated defense of star running back Ezekiel Elliott, a second-year player who served a six-game suspension for a 2016 domestic violence incident.

The NFL has also allegedly been preparing for a potential lawsuit from Jones against not only the league but the group of team owners in charge of overseeing Goodell’s contract negotiations — the owners of the Chiefs, Patriots, Giants, Steelers, Falcons and Texans. The Cowboys owner reportedly went as far as to hire lawyer David Boies, who has previously represented other famous names like disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, however, refuted reports claiming Goodell was fining Jones with a demand for legal fees, and said the punishment was instead a “reimbursement of costs incurred by member clubs.”

In December, it was reported Goodell signed a five-year extension worth $4 million guaranteed annually with bonuses that could raise his total earnings to $200 million over the duration of the contract.

Jones was aware as early as August that only about 12 percent of Goodell’s compensation was guaranteed, and that the rest would be based on whether he and the NFL met some specific financial targets. Nevertheless, Jones continued to claim the commissioner was being overpaid and attempted to delay the talks.

As for Elliott’s case, the running back was never formally charged or arrested by prosecutors, although the NFL used statements from a former girlfriend of Elliott’s — along with photos of injuries he was accused of inflicting on her — to justify the suspension.

Jones lambasted Goodell for his handling of past similar NFL scandals involving players like Ray Rice accused of domestic violence, and said the six-game suspension handed down to Elliott without sufficient evidence of wrongdoing was simply an example of the commissioner “overcompensating” for his mishandling of those cases, where the player was not always punished immediately.

Caption:TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 15: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with fans during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 15, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)