Jones asks for hearing to contest paying fees

INDIANAPOLIS — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has requested a hearing before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to contest the league’s effort to force him to reimburse more than $2 million in legal fees incurred by the owners’ compensation committee and the league, according to a multiple people familiar with the NFL’s inner workings.

It is not clear yet when the hearing will take place, said those people, who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. NFL rules give Goodell the final say on the matter, and the hearing will be conducted and decided by him or a person designated by him.

The NFL declined to comment on Jones’s request for a hearing that amounts to an appeal of the penalty.

The league’s order arises from a 1997 resolution that requires any owner who takes legal action against the league to cover both sides’ legal costs. The resolution has been utilized previously, said one person familiar with the issue, who declined to provide specifics about past instances in which owners have been required to reimburse legal expenses of the NFL or other teams.

In this case, a large number of owners supported the order for Jones to repay the legal expenses, according to multiple people within the league. One of those people estimated that as many as 29 of the 32 teams are in favor of the league’s action against Jones. The matter was reviewed by owners on the league’s finance committee.