Corperate Takeover Of The NFL

Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed L.T., is a retired Hall of Fame American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL). He is considered to be one of the greatest defensive players in the history of football, and has been called the greatest defensive player of all time by members of the media, former players, and coaches.[1]

After an All-American career at the University of North Carolina (UNC) (1978-1981), Taylor was drafted by the Giants as the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft. Although controversy surrounded the selection due to Taylor's contract demands, the two sides quickly resolved the issue. Taylor won several defensive awards after his rookie season. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Taylor was a disruptive force at outside linebacker, and is widely considered to have changed the pass rushing schemes, offensive line play, and offensive formations used in the NFL. Taylor produced double-digit sacks each season from 1984 through 1990, including a career high of 20.5 in 1986. He also won a record three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his performance during the 1986 season. He was named first-team All-Pro in each of his first nine seasons and was a key member of the Giants' defense, nicknamed "The Big Blue Wrecking Crew", that led New York to victories in Super Bowl XXI and XXV. During the 1980s Taylor and fellow linebackers Carl Banks and Hall of Famer Harry Carson gave the Giants linebacking corps a reputation as one of the best in the NFL.

Taylor had a controversial lifestyle, during and after his playing career. He admitted to using addictive drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL, and was suspended several times by the league for failing drug tests. His drug abuse escalated after his retirement, and he was jailed three times for attempted drug possession. However, Taylor cleaned up his lifestyle and has lived a sober, drug-free life since 1998. He worked as a color commentator on sporting events for several years after his retirement and, as of 2008, is pursuing a career as an actor.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are asking the NFL to clarify why Hines Ward, one of the league's best-blocking wide receivers, was fined $15,000 the past two games for unnecessary roughness despite not being penalized.

Ward

Ward was fined $10,000 following the Steelers' 26-21 win at Jacksonville on Oct. 5, a week after drawing a $5,000 fine for a play in which he stepped over Baltimore cornerback Corey Ivy on Sept. 29. Ward did not draw a penalty on either play.

Also following the Jacksonville game, Steelers linebacker James Harrison was fined $20,000 for criticizing referee Brian Winter for calling a roughing-the-passer penalty against him. Two other Steelers also drew fines for that game, safety Ryan Clark $7,500 for unnecessary roughness -- a late hit -- and wide receiver Nate Washington $7,500 for taunting. Among the four players, the one-game fines totaled $45,000.

"It's starting to cost too much money to come to work for these guys," coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.

Tomlin plans to call the NFL office about the Ward fines, and team chairman Dan Rooney wrote a letter questioning why Ward was fined.

"We want to be a team and he [Ward] wants to be a player who plays the game the way it's supposed to be played, the way our league wants it to be played," Tomlin said. "We respect that. But we need a little clarity in that situation."

Ward has been one of the NFL's most physical receivers since breaking into the league 10 years ago.

"Make no mistake, he plays the wide receiver position different than most people play it," Tomlin said. "He's probably viewed a little different because of it."

Tomlin wouldn't say the league is singling out Ward because of his reputation for not letting up on any play.

"You could say target, but I don't choose to use those words," Tomlin said. "He's a football player first and a wide receiver second. Like I said, it's our goal to play within the rules of the game. We believe we're doing that. He hasn't been penalized."

Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott (born May 8, 1959) is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his hard hits on opposing players, rivaling fellow safeties Steve Atwater and Jack Tatum as the hardest hitter of all time. A Pro Bowler at both cornerback and safety, Lott is widely considered one of the best defensive backs in NFL history.

College career
Lott graduated from the University of Southern California in 1981 with a degree in public administration. During his years at USC (1977-1980), he helped the team to a share of the 1978 national championship and played in the 1979 and 1980 Rose Bowls.[3] Lott was a unanimous All-American and team captain in 1980. He was inducted in 2002 as one of 15 new members (I-A class) of the College Football Hall of Fame, and was also a 1995 inductee to the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.

Upon entering USC, Lott and teammate and future NFL star Marcus Allen were both considered for the tailback and safety positions. After much consideration, head coach John Robinson asked Lott to play defense because he was a better tackler than Allen.

Professional career
After college, Lott was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (8th overall pick) of the 1981 NFL Draft. The level of skill demonstrated by the 6-foot, 203-pound standout was instantly recognized, and from the very beginning of training camp he had the job as the 49ers' starting left cornerback. In his first season, he recorded seven interceptions, helped the 49ers to win Super Bowl XVI, and also became only the second rookie in NFL history to return three interceptions for touchdowns. His outstanding play resulted in his finishing second for Rookie of the Year honors, behind New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Lott switched to the safety position in 1985. He had the tip of his left pinky finger amputated after the 1985 season, when it was crushed tackling RB Timmy Newsome. A 1986 injury sidelined him for the season's last two games, but he still led the league with a career-best 10 interceptions while recording 77 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two quarterback sacks. In his ten years with the 49ers, he helped them to win eight division titles and four Super Bowls: XVI (1981 season), XIX (1984), XXIII (1988), and XXIV (1989). He is one of five players to play for the 49ers on all four of their Super Bowl wins during the 1980s. The other four are QB Joe Montana, LB Keena Turner, CB Eric Wright, and WR Mike Wilson.

After his career with San Francisco, Lott signed as a free agent in 1991 with the Los Angeles Raiders, and in 1993 with the New York Jets. In 1991 he led the league in interceptions (8) for a second time. In 1995 Lott signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, but was injured in the preseason. He returned to the 49ers in 1995, but the injuries he had suffered over the previous four seasons continued to plague him, and he announced his retirement before the season began. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility, and was also named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team.

In his 14 seasons, Lott recorded 8.5 sacks and 63 interceptions, which he returned for 730 yards and five touchdowns. He recovered 17 fumbles, returned them for 43 yards, and gained 113 yards on kickoff returns. Lott also played in 20 postseason games, recording nine interceptions, 89 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two touchdowns. He was also named All-Pro eight times, All-NFC six times, and All-AFC once.

Lott turned to broadcasting following his retirement, serving as an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday in 1996-97 and working on that network's game coverage in 1998.

He now lives in Cupertino, California, with his wife Karen, and his children Hailey, Isaiah and Chloe. USA Today praised him as "one of the most successful athletes at making the transition to business." He manages $2.4billion in private-equity investments and owns Toyota and Mercedes-Benz car dealerships. He also advises professional athletes who are making a transition to the business world. He is also the father of Detroit Lions linebacker Ryan Nece.

Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus (born December 9, 1942) is a former American football player, widely regarded as the greatest linebacker of his generation and one of the best football players of all time. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. He became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Early life
Butkus was born into a large Lithuanian family of eight children on the south side of Chicago. He played high school football for Coach Bernie O'Brien at CVS. There he met his three lifelong friends Patrick O'Neill, Tyler Volk, and Eric Parker who played linebacker with him in high school. The group was infamously known around the conference as the ferocious quartet.

University of Illinois
At Illinois, Butkus played center and linebacker from 1962 through 1964. Butkus was twice a unanimous All-American, in 1963 and 1964. Butkus won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football in 1963 as the Big Ten Most Valuable Player, and was named the American Football Coaches Association Player of the Year in 1964. Butkus also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1963, and third in 1964, a remarkable achievement given his position.

Butkus is a member of The Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.

After his collegiate career, Butkus continued to receive recognition for his play. Butkus was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, and is one of only two players to have a uniform number (#50) retired by the University of Illinois (the other being Harold "Red" Grange). Butkus was also named to the Walter Camp All-Century team in 1990, and was named as the sixth-best college football player ever by College Football News in 2000. As perhaps the ultimate tribute to his excellence, in 1985 the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, Florida created an award in his name. The Dick Butkus Award is given annually to the most outstanding linebacker in college football. In 2008 this annual prestigious award was moved to Chicago where recipients from high school, college and the NFL will be selected by a national team of 51 coaches and sportswriters. In 2007, Butkus was ranked #19 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.

NFL
Butkus was drafted in the first round by both the Denver Broncos of the American Football League and his hometown team, the Chicago Bears of the NFL. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for 8 seasons, and was all-league six times. In his rookie season, Butkus led the team in tackles, interceptions, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries and regularly led the team in these categories throughout his career. Butkus recovered 25 fumbles in his career, an NFL record at the time of his retirement. He was one of the most feared players of his era and even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1970 with the caption "The Most Feared Man in the Game." He had one of his most productive seasons in 1970 with 132 tackles, 84 assists, 3 INT and 2 fumble recoveries. He was forced to retire after multiple knee injuries in 1973.

Butkus filed a lawsuit against the Bears in 1975, claiming the Bears knowingly kept Butkus on the field when he should have had surgery on his knees. The Bears denied Butkus and their other players the right to seek second opinions with doctors other than the Bears team doctor, and the team would liberally use painkillers so Butkus, a major gate attraction, would be active.

Because of the lawsuit, Butkus' relationship with owner George Halas was icy despite the fact the two shared much in common (Chicago born and raised, University of Illinois alumni, first-generation Americans). Butkus did return to the Bears as a color analyst on radio broadcasts in 1985, teaming with first-year play-by-play man Wayne Larrivee and former St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart. His longtime teammate Gale Sayers was also honored during a ceremony during halftime of a rain-soaked Monday night game between the Bears and Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.

He was also selected the 70th greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, the 9th best player in league history by The Sporting News, and the fifth best by the Associated Press. The National Football League named him to their all time team in 2000. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.Although Butkus was bothered by his injuries he was deemed the most feared linebacker in the NFL.

XFL
In the summer of 2000, Dick Butkus was announced to be the coach of the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL. A few months later it was announced that he would not coach the Enforcers. Butkus was given a "promotion", and became the XFL Director of Competition. Many Chicago fans were disappointed that Butkus was removed from his coaching position. Butkus was replaced with Ron Meyer for the XFL's only season in 2001.

After football
After his career as a player, Butkus has become a well known celebrity endorser, broadcaster, and actor. He has appeared in films such as Gus (1976), Cracking Up, Necessary Roughness, and Any Given Sunday, and as a regular character on TV shows such as Blue Thunder, My Two Dads, and Hang Time. He made two appearances on the TV shows "Coach" and MacGyver. In an oft-rerun episode of Murder She Wrote, Butkus appeared in a locker-room scene wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
Promoted the "Qwik-Cook Grill", a grill utilizing newspaper as its main fuel, on TV infomercials in the '90s.
Butkus' son, Matt Butkus, was part of University of Southern California's 1990 Rose Bowl winning team as a defensive lineman and played on the Chicago Bears as a reserve linebacker during the 2003 NFL season.
Butkus was also the special referee for the battle royal at WrestleMania 2.
Butkus was hired as the replacement for Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder on CBS pregame show The NFL Today in 1988, serving as an analyst through 1989.
His nephew, Luke Butkus, was hired on February 19, 2007, as the Bears' offensive line coach.
Butkus had a cameo appearance in the 2nd season episode "The No-Cut Contract" of the TV show The Rockford Files.
In 2008 Butkus initiated a nationwide campaign to help eliminate anabolic steroid use by high school athletes called I Play Clean www.iplayclean.org He is asking all athletes to take the I Play Clean Pledge to not use performance enhancing drugs and to eat right, train hard and play with an attitude.

Bound for Glory
In 2005, Butkus "coached" a high school football team for an ESPN reality show, "Bound for Glory". The series documented the season of the Montour Spartans of Pittsburgh, Pa., and was told through the eyes and ears of the players, coaches, teachers, families and friends. The high school football team, which once celebrated heroic triumphs, had fallen on hard times, making the playoffs just once in the previous seven years. After starting the season with only 1 win and 6 losses, Butkus left the team and the show, citing the fact that he was only contracted for 8 weeks.

Charles Edward Greene, known as "Mean Joe" Greene, (born September 24, 1946) is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he developed into arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL. He is considered by many to be one of the best defensive lineman to ever play the game and was the cornerstone of the famous "Steel Curtain" defense. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a four-time Super Bowl champion.

College career
Before his NFL career, "Mean Joe" Greene had an outstanding college football career at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) (1966-1968), assisting the team to a 23-5-1 record during his 3 seasons with them. In 1984, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2006 was voted to the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame.

Pro football career
In 1969, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 4th pick of the NFL draft and spent his entire career with them until his retirement in 1981. When Joe Greene was drafted, a newspaper headline asked Who's Joe Greene? The question was quickly answered as Greene became so good, that teams double-teamed, and even triple-teamed, him throughout his entire career.

After he was drafted Greene quickly established himself as a dominant defensive player. He was incredibly strong, quick and intense. He was the NFL's rookie of the year in 1969, even though he played on a poor Steelers team that went 1-13 and had a long standing reputation of being a walking mat for other NFL teams. But that was also Chuck Noll's first year as a coach for the Steelers, and the Steelers quickly improved over the next few seasons. Greene later admitted that he was upset with being drafted by the Steelers due to their long history of losing. He showed his displeasure on the field. In his early years with the Steelers, Greene was at times uncontrollable and often let his temper get the best of him. His had no tolerance for losing, and the team veterans quickly took notice. He said that he was bigger than most, but neither the strongest nor the fastest, but put his desire to win in front of anybody. His desire to win rallied the veterans around him and with great drafts along with superb coaching the Steelers franchise soon began to undergo a dramatic makeover. Joe Greene was credited as the cornerstone of the great Steelers dynasty and perhaps the most important player in team history.

Greene was the leader and cornerstone of the Steel Curtain defense that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. He was twice recognized as the NFL defensive player of the year in 1972 and 1974. He, along, with other members of the Steelers' front four (L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes) even appeared on the cover of Time magazine. That defense held NFL MVP Fran Tarkenton and the Vikings offense scoreless in Super Bowl IX (the Vikings only scored on a blocked punt, for which they missed the extra point), the only time that has occurred in Super Bowl history. It was also Greene's best championship performance, when he became the first player ever to record an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in a single Super Bowl. He went to the Pro Bowl 10 times during his career.

Greene is also well-known for the "pinch" defense in which he would line up at an angle, between the center and guard, and would explode into the line taking up 2-3 blockers. He started doing this sometime in the 1974 season, and while it cut down on the number of sacks he racked up it freed up his other defensive teammates like middle linebacker Jack Lambert to make tackles with ease.

After leading the Steelers to another Super Bowl win after the 1975 season over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X, Greene missed the first several games of the 1976 season with a back injury. The Steelers started off the season 1-4 and looked like they would not make the playoffs. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw also got injured and was replaced by rookie Mike Kruczek. The season looked lost. But Greene and the Steelers defense carried the Steelers to nine straight wins and the playoffs. In what was probably the greatest NFL defense in the modern era, the 1976 Steelers held opponents to an average of less than 10 points per game (138 points over 14 games). During their nine-game winning streak, the Steelers defense recorded five shutouts, another modern record, and gave up a total of just 28 points (roughly 3 points per game). The defense allowed only two touchdowns over nine games.

Ten of the eleven starters on that 1976 Steelers team were players who made the Pro Bowl at least once in their career (eight starters made the Pro Bowl after the 1976 season). Middle lineback Jack Lambert had, along with Greene, become the emotional leader of the defense and over the next several years became the dominant player at his position while Greene continued to perform at an all-pro level, becoming a 5-time All-Pro (1972-74,77,79) and in 1969 receiving the first of his 10 Pro Bowl invitations. He retired after the 1981 season after 13 years in the league.

His end stats were 181 games, 78.5 sacks (unofficially, as sacks were not an official statistic until 1982) and 16 fumble recoveries.

Retirement
After retiring from the NFL, Greene became an assistant coach under Steelers' head coach Chuck Noll in 1987. He spent the next 16 years as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Arizona Cardinals. In 2004, he retired from coaching and was named the special assistant for player personnel for the Steelers. In this position he earned his 5th Super Bowl ring after the Steelers won Super Bowl XL. Along with longtime running backs coach Dick Hoak, Greene is one of the few outside the Rooney family to have Super Bowl rings from all five championship teams.

It was Greene, in fact, who coined the phrase "One for the Thumb in '81" after the Steelers won Super Bowl XIV. After the Steelers missed the playoffs in 1980, the saying was shortened to "One for the Thumb", and became the unofficial rally cry for the Steelers search for the elusive fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy until the team finally won it in 2005.

Although the Steelers do not officially retire jersey numbers, Greene's number 75 has not been issued since his retirement and is understood to be "unofficially retired". Greene also briefly wore number 72 during his rookie season before switching to his more familiar 75 midseason.[1]

Greene now resides in Flower Mound, Texas.

College career
Jones also was an Athletic Coaching Education major and a member of the Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll. As a freshman in 2002, Jones appeared in 11 games for West Virginia as a reserve cornerback and safety. He totaled one interception and one forced fumble with 36 tackles. During 2003, he appeared in all 13 games, starting 9 at cornerback, and taking over full-time kick return and punt return duties. Jones' second season resulted in a second team All-Big East Conference selection with his career-high 89 tackles and four interceptions, one being for a touchdown. He also had six tackles for losses, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He also had a career-high 12 broken up passes that season as well. In one of his best games of the year, against Boston College, Jones scored two touchdowns in a 35-28 win over the Eagles, one a 87-yard kick return and the other a 47-yard interception return. Jones also had a career-high 12 tackles against Miami. Jones totaled 98 punt return yards on 16 punt returns and 867 kick return yards, including an 87-yard touchdown return.

As a junior in 2004, he was the defensive secondary captain and led the team in tackles and interceptions. Jones also played briefly on offense, as well as returning punts and kick-offs for the second season. He was named first-team all-Big East as a defensive back and honorable mention All-American by several sources. He led the team with 76 tackles, also adding two sacks, three interceptions, and seven broken up passes. Jones was named to Collegefootballnews.com's All-American first-team and was named honorable mention All-American at kick returner. Jones was also named Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. His 76-yard punt return against East Carolina was his season-long return and only punt return for a touchdown in Jones' career. He even had a long touchdown run against UConn that was called back due to a penalty. Jones ended his career with a bad mark though, in the 2005 Gator Bowl, when he fumbled a kick return early in the game; the Mountaineers lost to Florida State.

Jones is ranked second on West Virginia's career kickoff return yardage list with 1,475 yards. He is also ranked eleventh on the school's career punt return yardage list with 404 yards, while his 10.92 yards per punt return is the sixth most in school history. Jones is one of the highest West Virginia players drafted as well, second to Hall of Famer Sam Huff who was drafted third overall. Jones and fellow-Mountaineer great Major Harris also shared the number #9 while playing in college.

Professional career
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Tennessee Titans
After his junior year, Jones opted to forgo his senior year and declare eligible for the NFL Draft. He was the first defensive player drafted, taken sixth overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft. He then missed most of training camp, holding out in a contract dispute. After Jones had signed with the Titans, he donated money to the 100 Club, a charity that financially supports the families of firefighters, police, and emergency workers. Also in 2005, Jones traveled to Pearl Cohn High School in Nashville, Tennessee to help the school after one of its football players died in a car crash that also injured others on the team. Jones reached out to them during the season, making at least two trips to encourage the team. Additionally, Jones donated money so Nashville firefighters and police officers could get new uniforms.

During his rookie season, he had a total of 44 tackles and 10 pass deflections, but no interceptions. On special teams, Jones totaled 1,399 return yards and one TD. Jones and Reynaldo Hill made up the only rookie duo to start at least ten games each at cornerback in the NFL. Many Tennessee fans felt that Jones was a disappointing pick, compared to the performance of the Titans' seventh-round pick, Reynaldo Hill, who had two interceptions with 39 tackles.

At the end of his sophomore season, Jones totaled career-high 62 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, 12 deflected passes, 4 interceptions, 130 return yards, one interception touchdown, 14 passes defended (second-team), 440 punt return yards and tied for NFL-high with three punt return touchdowns. The three punt returns also tied the franchise record with Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, which was set in 1975. His 12.9 yards per punt return average led the NFL, edging out Chicago's Devin Hester by a tenth of a yard, while his 26.1 yards per kick return average ranked him seventh in the league and sixth in the AFC. Jones also caught two passes on offense for 31 yards (one for 17 yards) and rushed twice for 8 yards. His best performance came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 15, when Jones had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to Matt Jones to save the game. Jones broke out in his fifth game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, when he recorded a then personal season-high five tackles and defended a pass in the 14-13 loss. The very next week against the Washington Redskins, Jones recorded four tackles and stripped the ball from Antwaan Randle El for his first forced fumble of his career. The next week against Houston, Jones tied a career-high tackle total with eight, and picked off a Sage Rosenfels pass for his first career interception, and also posted his second touchdown on a punt return in his career in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard return. Two weeks later, against the Eagles, Jones recorded his second punt return for a score of the season, this one 90-yards, breaking Billy Johnson's 87-yard franchise record. The next week against the New York Giants, Jones picked off an Eli Manning pass in the fourth quarter that sparked the Titans' 21-point comeback. Against the New England Patriots in the last game of the season, Jones totaled 259 return yards (the NFL's highest total since 2006) along with a punt return score.

Suspension
Near the 2007 NFL Draft, Jones's off-field issues (one revealed instance involved in a fist fight and a shooting in a Las Vegas strip club that paralyzed manager Tommy Urbanski) led many to believe that the Titans would cut or trade Jones before his third season in the league. On April 10, 2007, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced a one-year suspension for Jones, to be re-evaluated after the tenth regular-season game, pending disposition of current cases, which Jones appealed. Jones took out a full ad in The Tennessean, promising "he'll win back trust" of his teammates and fans." "To my family, teammates, coaches and fans, I recognize that I have lost the right to ask for your patience and understanding," Jones wrote. "However, I will do everything in my power to regain your trust and respect." Jones also wrote in the letter, his plans to re-enroll and finish his degree at West Virginia University. "The basis of the appeal %u2026 will be to clarify some of the facts and address the unprecedented punishment that was imposed," Jones wrote in the letter. However on June 12, Jones withdrew his appeal.

On November 5, 2007, it was reported that Jones would not be allowed to be reinstated during the 2007 season after meeting with Roger Goodell. Tennessee running back LenDale White told The Tennessean that he thinks that "53 of 53" Titans' players would want Jones to return to the team. Quarterback Vince Young said, "We are going to do well without him, we can do well with him...". On December 13, 2007, the NFL agreed to hear the player's union's appeal on Jones's behalf. The player's union appealed Roger Goodell's decision to not allow Jones to be reinstated during the 2007 season.

On February 1, 2008, ESPN reported that that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell remained "disappointed" in Jones and that he would most likely not be reinstated after the Super Bowl. The NFL was to review Jones after the 2008 Pro Bowl. It was also reported that the Titans would try to trade Jones, if reinstated.

On March 8, 2008, Jones announced on a Tennessee radio station that he felt he was in "tip-top shape" and was ready to be reinstated. His agent has also announced that they will consider applying for reinstatement before the 2008 NFL Draft. Jones also said on the radio show that he would like to play for the Dallas Cowboys, if the Titans were looking to trade him. The Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots also expressed interest in Jones. On March 30, Jones participated at a charity basketball event, where he then signed a football for a fan with the #21, later saying that he believes he would wear the number if he ended up in Dallas with the Cowboys. NFL Network correspondent, Adam Schefter, had also described the Tennessee-Dallas trade for Jones as being "imminent". On April 1, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that he would have a decision on reinstating Jones prior to training camp, presumably in July. However, the next day, reports said that the trade is being delayed due to the Cowboys denying the request to provide a fourth-round pick and a pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Also, disagreements let out over whether the Cowboys would reimburse the Titans for a bonus owed to Jones. However, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported on April 13 that trade talks had restarted, with the Cowboys offering a sixth-round pick and the Titans requesting a fourth-round pick in the 2008 draft. Jones will wait to apply for reinstatement to the NFL. Jones is apparently waiting for his trade to the Cowboys to happen, he told the media on the Michael Irvin radio show.