Owners Give Their Ok To Labor Deal

National Football League owners insured labor peace through the year 2003 by ratifying the new labor deal with its players Tuesday. But because of a passionate speech against the extension by the Giants co-owner Wellington Mara, the vote was much closer than expected.

The owners voted 28-1-1 in favor of the extension. But the situation was much tighter - and dramatic - than was publicly made known. After what one owner described as an “incredible” speech by Mara, an unofficial poll was taken and it was determined that there were only 22 votes in support of the agreement, according to several officials. In order to pass, 23 of the 30 owners had to vote for it. But after some rallying by supporters of the extension, the official vote was taken, and at that point a small group of owners changed their minds and backed it.

The only owner to vote against it outright was Mara, while Oakland’s Al Davis abstained.

Mara’s objection to the contract focused on the highly controversial portion of the agreement that deals with guaranteed salaries. If a player has been in the league four years or more and makes the active roster, but is later cut, he still receives his full salary for that year; that, in effect makes the contract guaranteed, something that has never been done in the NFL before.

Also at the league meetings in Orlando, Fla.:

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was given five-year contract extension worth just over $5 million a year.

It was reported that the league would prefer that novelist Tom Clancy divest himself of his 24 percent minority interest in the Baltimore Orioles baseball team to comply with league rules to avoid any conflict of interest in his bid to buy the Minnesota Vikings.

31 teams a tough number

The NFL has repaid its promise to Cleveland by awarding it an expansion team to start play in 1999.

Now it has to deal with the fallout - a league with 31 teams, an odd number that will force at least one team to be off each week, including the first and last weeks of the season. Tagliabue said that the byes the last four weeks would go to teams that finished last in their divisions the previous year and probable contenders will have their off weeks in the first half of the season.

Panthers sign Gilbert

Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, who sat out the 1997 season in a dispute with the Washington Redskins, agreed Tuesday on a contract with the Carolina Panthers that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive lineman ever.

The six-year, $40 million deal is contingent on the Panthers working out a compensation package with the Redskins for Gilbert.

Chargers add linebacker

The San Diego Chargers added depth at linebacker by signing unrestricted free agent Gerald Dixon to a $1.7 million, two-year contract. Dixon started 13 of 15 games played last year for Cincinnati and led the Bengals with eight sacks.

Brent Jones joins CBS

CBS hired former San Francisco 49ers tight end Brent Jones as a studio analyst, outbidding the Republican party for his services.

Jones, who retired at the end of last season, thought about running for political office.

“I did consider a run at Congress and talked to some people about it,” Jones said. “But staying involved with football was what I wanted to do long term and things worked out great with CBS.”

Record payout

The NFL paid a record $25.1 million to players who participated in last season’s playoffs, up $800,000 from the year before, the league said.

The Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos each earned $103,000, excluding the Pro Bowl. Each player for the NFC champion Green Bay Packers earned $75,000.