PT: We've had a busy day and I'll try to give you a sense of the highlights. The most significant thing that we acted on was the decision relative to Los Angeles and Houston.

This morning I advised the ownership of my decision on Ed DeBartolo's status. He is going to be suspended through the 1999 season and he has been fined one million dollars. There are certain undertakings that he makes in terms of how he will conduct himself through the '99 season. He has certain rights of participation on a consultative basis with his sister, relative to the hirings that they might make, if they do hire a chief executive. He also agreed that if he violates any terms of the letter he would be fined an additional four million dollars.

On the Thanksgiving Day issue, which I know is of interest to people particularly in Detroit because it's such a tradition there, we discussed it and there's very strong sentiment to keep the games in Dallas and Detroit. Obviously, a number of clubs feel like that could be a fine part of their tradition as well, but I feel there was very strong sentiment that the tradition should be maintained in Dallas and Detroit.

We discussed the Redskins' sale, but we haven't reached a decision. The Finance Committee hasn't yet made its report to the membership. We'll be doing that tomorrow.

We did spend some time with the Competition Committee on playing rules changes and instant replay. We'll be voting on those matters, including instant replay, tomorrow. Those are among the things we discussed and the decisions we made today.

Question: Regarding the sale of Washington.

PT: We're going to be meeting tonight and tomorrow morning with our Finance Committee to address that question.

Question: Was there a vote on the Thanksgiving Day issue?

PT: There was a vote on the Thanksgiving Day issue and there were more than 20 teams who felt the games should stay were they are.

Question: Regarding the DeBartolo fine.

PT: Mr. DeBartolo has been fined for conduct detrimental to the interest of the National Football League and professional football. That's a term that's in our Constitution and Bylaws. Each owner is obligated not to engage in conduct which is detrimental to the league or professional football. The commissioner has the responsibility to apply that standard and I found that the felony plea that he entered in Louisiana, plus his failure to inform the league that he was pursuing a riverboat gambling license, constituted conduct detrimental to the league in view of our policies against gambling.

Question: Regarding expansion (Los Angeles).

PT: The decision was made to work intensively to continue our process with the first focus on Los Angeles and to try to determine whether conditions can be met there that would give us the ability to have expansion in the way we would like to have it, with the type of facility we would like. If we can't get that done by early this fall, if we can't satisfy ourselves with the right kind of progress being made, then the Expansion Committee would recommend that a team should be located in Houston. There was a strong recognition that both of these are attractive markets and attractive opportunities for the league.

Question: Are there other conditions to the DeBartolo suspension? Is there a signed document?

PT: There is a signed document.

PT: Yes. Were there other conditions? Yes.

Question: What were some of the other conditions?

PT: I don't intend to discuss them.

Question: Regarding the DeBartolo situation.

PT: We had inquired on several occasions as to what, if any, gambling related activities Ed DeBartolo might be involved in. We had read stories about him being involved in different types of public initiatives relative to race track betting and that sort of thing. We had made inquires and had been assured that he was not involved in efforts related to the operation of riverboat gambling and that turned out not to be the case. So we felt that conduct was inappropriate and detrimental to the league.

Question: When would he be eligible to return?

PT: It would be roughly February of next year.

Question: Regarding DeBartolo's suspension.

PT: If he lives up to the letter of the agreement there are some conditions that continue to apply for so long as he's the owner.

Question: Regarding the payment of DeBartolo's fine.

PT: The payments will be in two installments, with the first one made within thirty days.

Question: What will you do with the money?

PT: Probably give it to charity.

Question: Regarding discussion about realignment.

PT: We had a fair amount of discussion about realignment today in the Expansion Committee in particular and with the membership. Quite a bit of sentiment was expressed in support of moving ahead on eight divisions of four teams in each division. Clearly, there was not enough information available and not enough time to get any kind of consensus. Some clubs did ask Jerry Richardson whether his committee would be exploring that in the weeks ahead. We did commit to come back to the membership later this year with plans for a divisional alignment that would involve eight divisions with four teams, and the kind of schedule that would involve.

Question: Regarding realignment and scheduling conflicts.

PT: We didn't get involved that much. Dan Rooney was the most specific. He spoke about the attractiveness of a scheduling formula where there would be divisions of four teams. You would have three divisional opponents every year, as you do now, both home and away, that would be six very attractive games. Then you would have eight other games which would be common opponents for everyone in your division. In other words, you would play four teams in another division in your conference. You would play four teams in a division in cross conference. So you would have fourteen common games for each team in a division. Six in your division, eight out of your division, then two wild card games totaling sixteen. He thinks that's a much fairer, competitive schedule then the 2's against the 1's, 1's against the 2's, 2's against the 3's, and all of that stuff that Val Pinchbeck knows so much about.

Question: Have you made any decisions on Super Bowl XXXVII?

PT: No, we did not. I spoke with Mayor Brown and I think we'll be addressing that later in the meetings.

Question: Regarding realignment and scheduling.

PT: Dan Rooney's ideas really would give us wild cards in the wildest sense of the word. They might be used for different purposes at different times, in different divisions, for Jets/ Giants match-ups in New York, for especially attractive match-ups for television. They might be used for the purpose that you're suggesting. He just thinks it would give us 14 out of 16 very common games and common opponents, which is competitively the fairest and then a lot of flexibility with the wild cards.

Question: Did Mayor Brown say that San Francisco no longer wished to host Super Bowl XXXVII?