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| Wednesday, November 1 Associated Press | |||
| ATLANTA -- NFL owners approved a new scheduling format on
Tuesday and agreed to help finance the renovation of Chicago's
historic Soldier Field.
Once again, however, they skirted the issue of whether Carmen
Policy violated the salary cap while he ran the San Francisco
49ers.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said there are major differences
between Policy and the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, who were fined
and stripped of draft picks for secret deals to skirt their
league's salary cap.
"We don't have anything like that," Tagliabue said. "The
allegations are sharply disputed."
The commissioner said a ruling on Policy's actions would be
linked with the NFL's broader efforts to eliminate loopholes in the
salary cap.
Policy, now president of the Cleveland Browns, maintains he did
nothing wrong and said comparing his troubles to the NBA case is
"like looking at the difference between speeding and premeditated
murder."
The major decision Tuesday was unanimous approval of a new
scheduling formula when the Houston Texans join the league in 2002,
which will give the NFL 32 teams and lead to realignment with eight
four-team divisions.
Each team will play six games within its division (home-and-away
against the other three teams), four games against another division
within its conference, four games against a division in the
opposite conference and two games within the conference based on
the previous year's standings.
Those final two games were the main sticking point, with some
owners wanting to preserve those for traditional rivalries.
Instead, a first-place team would play the other two first-place
teams from its conference that are not already on the schedule, a
second-place team would play the other two second-place teams, etc.
The other non-division games would rotate annually, meaning a
team would play every team in the league at least once every four
years.
"The concept of natural rivalries breaks down about halfway
through the league, no matter how you define natural rivalries,"
Tagliabue said.
The commissioner said the league hopes to reach agreement on
actual realignment by its March meeting. He stressed that no teams
will receive financial compensation for moving to another division.
In 1970, when the NFL merged with the American Football League,
three old-line teams -- Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and
Baltimore Colts -- received $3 million apiece for agreeing to shift
to the new American Football Conference.
The owners voted to loan the Bears about $100 million for
renovation of 76-year-old Soldier Field, part of a leaguewide
program to help teams upgrade their facilities.
The Bears want to construct a state-of-the-art facility within
Soldier Field's distinctive walls and colonnades. The total cost of
the project hasn't been determined.
Policy was president and CEO of the San Francisco 49ers for
eight years, building a reputation as one of the league's brightest
front-office executives. In keeping the 49ers on top, he was
accused of bending the NFL's salary-cap rules, especially during
the 1997 season.
The league's management council has spent the past year
reviewing the contracts of former San Francisco quarterback Steve
Young, tight end Brent Jones and QB Jim Druckenmiller.
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis called for Policy to receive a
one-year suspension, saying it wouldn't be enough for Tagliabue to
impose a hefty fine.
"We're dealing with the credibility of the league on the
field," Davis said. "The punishment should be swift and severe."
Normally, Davis' opinions don't carry much weight in a league
where he is viewed as a pariah by most of his fellow owners.
But his stand against Policy and Dwight Clark, who worked with
Policy in San Francisco, has put Davis in an unusual alliance with
old-line owners such as Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney, Wellington Mara of
the New York Giants and Art Modell of the Baltimore Ravens.
Clark is still Policy's right-hand man, serving as the Browns'
director of football operations.
Tagliabue said he has talked with NBA commissioner David Stern,
who came down hard on the Timberwolves for their secret financial
agreement with Joe Smith.
Stern fined Wolves owner Glen Taylor $3.5 million and stripped
the team of five first-round draft picks. Stern also voided Smith's
contract and could suspend Taylor and anyone in the organization
who knew about the secret deal.
"We know it's there," Rooney said of the Stern ruling. "We
can't close our eyes to it."
The major issue for Wednesday's final session will be the
awarding of Super Bowls for 2004-06.
Houston is the only bidder for the 2004 game, while Detroit is
the lone contender for 2006. But both cities must show they can
meet the NFL's requirements for hotel rooms and other amenities.
Miami, Jacksonville and Oakland are bidding for 2005. | ALSO SEE
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