Jones had the balls to sue the NFL to enhance his team over the other 31 teams.
In 1993, NFL owners began capitalizing upon their decision to create the NFL Trust. That year, Coca-Cola signed a five-year contract worth a reported $250 million to become the official soft-drink of the NFL. In 1995, Visa USA would sign the then second-largest partnership agreement with the NFL, a five-year deal worth $50 million, to become the NFL’s exclusive payment card sponsor.
In the background of these deals, though, was Jones. Not a team owner when NFL owners voted to create the NFL Trust, Jones realized that he and the Cowboys were in a situation unique from most other NFL teams: The Cowboys didn’t need a stable of teams to secure lucrative endorsement deals.
With the business savvy cured from his education, which includes a Master’s degree in business, and successfully running his own Jones Oil and Land Lease, Jones set out to capitalize upon the brand recognized as “America’s Team.” The owner of not only the Dallas Cowboys, but also their stadium, Texas Stadium Corporation, Jones entered into multi-million dollar sponsorship agreements with American Express, Pepsi and Nike through Texas Stadium Corporation.
While arguably not directly contravening the terms of the NFL Trust, since only teams and not stadiums were part of the trust, Jones nonetheless secured the ire of the NFL. At an owners meeting in Atlanta in 1995, Jones was served with a $300 million lawsuit filed by NFL Properties. The lawsuit raised claims including violations of the Lanham Act, breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith, unjust enrichment and tortious interference with contractual rights.
In response to the lawsuit, Jones and the Cowboys filed a motion to dismiss. This motion was granted in part.
Then, Jones took a big risk: He filed a $750 million antitrust lawsuit against the league. It was this legal maneuver that put the Cowboys on the ground to becoming the most valuable NFL franchise. In 2013,
Forbes valued the team at a league-wide high of $2,300 million.