[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Thursday, July 17, 1997

Report: Cowboys would pay $10,000 fine if caught in bar

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Dallas Cowboys players who ignore owner Jerry Jones' ban on a sports bar near Valley Ranch could face a $10,000 fine, The Dallas Morning News reported today.

The newspaper cited a source it did not name as saying the fine would be imposed for conduct detrimental to the team.

No other establishments are off-limits to players, the source said.

Jones says he has ordered players to stay away from the Cowboy's Sports Cafe, a bar just a few blocks from the team's practice complex. Until now, the bar was a popular hangout for players. It is owned by former players Tony Dorsett, Eugene Lockhart, Alfredo Roberts and Everson Walls.

Jones refused to discuss his reasons for the ban.

"I don't want to get into in-depth reasons why we made the decision," the owner said. "But it was overwhelmingly a decision we needed to make."

A source close to the team said one reason reserve tight end Kendall Watkins was cut this week is because he defied the ban.

On Monday, coach Barry Switzer said Watkins was released because the team was displeased with his conditioning and his behavior.

Watkins' agent, Brian Levy, said the tight end weighed 278 pounds when he visited the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday. That's four pounds less than the Cowboys had him listed in their media guide last year.

Prior to his release, Watkins was scheduled to make $180,300 bonus for reporting to training camp on Friday.

"I don't know what they've got to gain by saying bad things about him," Levy said. "They just didn't want to pay him."

"Kendall's not an angel, but that's not a tabernacle choir they've got in Dallas."

A source told the newspaper that Jones made the ban known about a month ago and discussed it with the sports bar owners.

"It seems a little hasty because the ownership has always had good reputations," Walls said. "It's kind of hard to tell grown men what to do once they leave the premises, especially when they're going to places that are legal."

Walls said former Cowboys coach Tom Landry advised players every year of places they should stay away from.

The Cowboys have had seven drug-related NFL suspensions in the past three years. Since the end of last season, Jones has hired former cowboys star Calvin Hill and his wife as consultants to deal with team behavior problems.