Cowboys owner Jerry Jones testified at the trial of the Sunday Ticket class action. His appearance didn’t help the league avoid a $4.7 billion verdict and a potential $14.1 billion judgment.
The presiding judge on Thursday gave the NFL a pass for the full amount, finding that the jury properly found that Sunday Ticket package violates federal antitrust laws — but that the plaintiffs failed to introduce reliable expert witness testimony regarding the financial harm caused by 12 years of deliberate and concerted overcharging for out-of-market games.
Jones is obviously happy that he won’t have to write a check for $440 million, which would have been his 1/32nd share of the final amount.
“Well, we were pleased that we made our presentation to the judge and are pleased with his ruling,” Jones said Friday, via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “And we’ll go from there. I won’t be saying anything more about it.”
I’m not sure of many things. I’m sure that Jones will inevitably say something more about it.
While things can change on appeal, Jones seized last weekend on the looming liability as a reason for not paying his players. Now that the $14.1 billion has been erased, he should be able to assume the salary cap will keep soaring and the money will keep flowing, right?
Wrong. He’ll find another reason to drag his feet and to lowball his players before ultimately saying matae and writing the check regarding players like receiver CeeDee Lamb (who’s holding out) and linebacker Micah Parsons (who should be). Or, in the case of quarterback Dak Prescott, watching him leave next with as an unrestricted and unfettered free agent.