Jones Goes To War Over Deion Deal Cowboys Owner: League Has No Business Questioning Contract

Jerry Jones plans to fight the NFL’s questioning of cornerback Deion Sanders’ $35 million contract, the Dallas Cowboys owner said today, adding that he considers the league’s position an attack on his team.

“This is suspicious to me. It’s so transparent that the NFL is being selective,” Jones said.

“They’re trying to intimidate the Cowboys, they’re trying to be a bully. We will not let them intimidate or bully us.”

The league told the team to renegotiate its seven-year deal with Sanders to fit under the salary cap. The league has conditionally approved the deal but held that it violates the spirit of the $37.1 million-per-team cap, said Harold Henderson, the NFL’s director of labor relations.

Jones said the contract follows the salary cap rules completely.

“This is not about Deion, what this is about is sticking it to the Dallas Cowboys. This is very disturbing,” Jones said, adding that he expects to win the fight.

Technically, Sanders will make the NFL base salary of $178,000 for the first three years, but his pay will average $5.5 million per year including his nearly $13 million signing bonus.

“Sanders’ contract is structured to avoid counting under the salary cap a very large portion of the compensation which Deion is to receive for his services during the early years of his contract,” the NFL’s Henderson said.

“In this respect, Deion’s contract stands apart from every other in the league. In our view, the contract as currently structured involves salary cap circumvention.”

The decision was immediately opposed by the NFL Players Association, which said the league has “no basis for challenging the contract in any way.”

“Our agreement specially states that anything permitted by the collective bargaining agreement cannot be considered circumvention,” said Richard Berthelsen, the union’s general counsel.

“The league has already approved contracts for other players who have used the same techniques, including Andre Rison and Eric Allen.”

Although the NFL is willing to let Sanders play immediately, his left ankle will keep him out of action Sunday.

“Deion is working on a limited basis. He’s not going to play against the Chargers,” Dallas coach Barry Switzer said Wednesday.

Sanders is recovering from surgery to remove bone chips in his ankle. He is tentatively scheduled to make his first appearance as a Cowboy Oct. 29 at Atlanta, where he used to play before signing with San Francisco before last season.

While Sanders is expected to play some as a receiver for the Cowboys (5-1), Switzer said the star’s first task is to learn the defense.

“Obviously he won’t open on offense,” Switzer said. “He’ll be a defensive player first. As we move along, if we can work him in the kicking game and in our offensive package, we’ll do that.”

The Chargers’ power running and multiple-tight end offense isn’t a good place to debut Sanders, Switzer said. The Pro Bowler is known as a premier coverage back but a poor tackler.

The Cowboys could be facing Gale Gilbert because quarterback Stan Humphries sustained a bruised right rotator cuff in San Diego’s 29-23 overtime loss at Kansas City on Monday night.