NFL: Controversial Goodell extension on fast track, Elliott suspension upheld
NEW YORK— The NFL expects a fiveyear contract extension with commissioner Roger Goodell to be finalized soon, despite a threatened lawsuit by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
NFL spokesperson Joe Lockhart said Thursday that “our expectation is this will be wrapped up soon, but we can’t project an actual date.”
The extension would carry through 2024. Goodell became commissioner in 2006.
Lockhart added that the league is aware of Jones’ potential lawsuit, which apparently has been sparked by star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension over allegations of domestic violence.
“Certainly neither the compensation committee or the league has been made aware of a lawsuit being filed,” he said.
As for reports that Jones and other owners might be balking at the structure and compensation in the new contract, Lockhart noted: “I am saying the reporting about potential holdouts around particular issues has not been accurate. I don’t know where it is coming from?”
All 32 owners voted in May to extend Goodell’s contract and authorized the compensation committee to work out the details. Goodell suspended Elliott in August after a yearlong NFL investigation.
A federal court on Thursday upheld the suspension, barring Elliott from playing Sunday against Atlanta.
Jones, who is one of the most powerful owners in the league, has expressed frustration over the NFL’s pursuit of criminal matters with its own investigators.