The Titans and NFL "continue to disagree about whether the team’s ownership structure complies with league rules," according to Jason Wolf of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday at his State of the League address said, “The issue that we’ve had over the last couple years was the designation of who was going to represent the club. That’s changed, to some extent, over the last couple years. The fundamental aspect of our policy is to make sure that we have an individual who has the ultimate authority over the franchise, and to make those decisions, including league-vote decisions, as well as locally, and it’s clear -- it’s clear to the ownership group and it’s also clear to the membership." Wolf notes the NFL "levied a six-figure fine against the Titans" when Controlling Owner Amy Adams Strunk took over in place of her sister, Susie Adams Smith, in March '15. Strunk and Smith each own 33% of the team. The remaining ownership stake is "split among three other family members." Giants President & CEO John Mara and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones have "publicly said they have no issues with the Titans' ownership structure" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 2/2). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote at some point, the NFL "needs to draw a line in the sand -- especially since the Titans seem to believe that there’s nothing they need to do to comply with league policies." It is "hard to imagine the league tolerating the failure to comply indefinitely" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 2/1).
BRONCOS TIMETABLE UNCERTAIN: In Denver, Nicki Jhabvala notes the Broncos' ownership succession plan has "raised questions from outsiders about transparency and the timetable" for the move away from Pat Bowlen as controlling owner. But Goodell yesterday said that the Broncos have "been compliant with ownership rules and remain under the watch" of Bowlen, who is battling Alzheimer's. Goodell: "I worked with Pat directly so I know he set up a system that was compliant with our rules if such an unfortunate situation occurred." Broncos President Joe Ellis said of the process, "We’ve stayed in touch with the league, we’re in compliance with their policies as of now. We will always stay in compliance and if we have to alter a few things, we will request for an alteration of some sort to stay in compliance. ... I think the family is eager to hold onto the team." Ellis: "There’s no update on the children. When a child is ready, you and everyone else will know" (DENVER POST, 2/2).
