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Report: NFL owners warn Jerry Jones to 'cease and desist' from fighting Goodell contract

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's contract has Jerry Jones facing off against fellow NFL owners, according to a report from the New York Times. 
Jerry Jones, left, has been told by other owners to lay off the NFL compensation commuttee, led by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, right, about commissioner Roger Goodell's contract. 

Owners on the NFL compensation committee have given Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a cease-and-desist warning, threatening punishment over Jones trying to stop the league from giving commissioner Roger Goodell a contract extension, according to a report from the New York Times.

Jones has threatened to sue the NFL over Goodell's contract, sending a letter to fellow owners last week saying they had been misled in the negotiations over the commissioners contract.

Fellow owners, upset over Jones' actions, have looked at ways to sanction him, whether it be fines of some kind, a suspension or, according to a report from Pro Football Talk, forcing him to sell the Cowboys.

In the letter, Jones said the league was in a state of "upheaval," under an "avalanche of issues that have beleaguered the NFL unlike any other time in recent memory. These changing conditions must be weighed relative to the timing of the Commissioner's contract extension."

Committee chairman and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the committee was continuing to work on Goodell's contract, something that all 32 NFL owners voted to approve at their meetings in May.

“The Committee is continuing its work towards finalizing a contract extension with the Commissioner, consistent with the mandate provided in the unanimous May 2017 Resolution,” Blank said in a statement to the Sports Business Journal. “Regardless of what may have been reported, the Committee is working within the financial parameters outlined to the ownership at the May meeting. The negotiations are progressing and we will keep ownership apprised of the negotiations as they move forward. We do not intend to publicly comment on our discussions.”

Jones said that he isn't pushing for a review of Goodell's contract because the commissioner suspended Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot six games on allegations of domestic violence.

Goodell suspended Elliott following a year-long investigation by the league after prosecutors in Ohio declined to pursue the domestic violence case, citing conflicting evidence.

During his NFL appeal of the punishment, Elliott denied under oath that he had any physical altercations in the summer of 2016 with Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time. The NFL said there were three incidents over five days.

Jones said his relationship with Goodell, and issues related to his compensation, are deeper than his recent concern over the league's handling of Elliott's case.

"I've been dealing with this commissioner for almost 28 years, as an employee of the NFL," Jones said on his radio show late last week. "Zeke's been involved here a year, a year and a half. The policy that we have that has impacted Zeke is more of my issue with the commissioner, more so than Zeke's particular circumstance."

Contributing: The Associated Press

Follow Kevin Spain on twitter: @kevin_spain

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