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Sunday, August 31, 1997

Jones declines to guarantee Switzer's job security

DALLAS (AP) -- Amid speculation about Barry Switzer's future, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has refused to guarantee that the coach will return to his post after this season.

Jones also acknowledged that there was a local and national perception that Switzer might be fired or that he would prod Switzer into retirement.

"It is speculation, because I'm the only one who knows that," Jones is quoted as saying in Sunday's editions of The Dallas Morning News. "And I don't know that he's a lame-duck coach."

Jones also said he has heard the reports of a list of replacements headed by Lou Holtz, the former Notre Dame coach, who visited the Cowboys' Valley Ranch this spring.

NFL insiders say Switzer's vulnerable status is due in large part to an Aug. 4 arrest for carrying a concealed weapon into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in his carry-on bag. He was released on his own recognizance.

Jones fined Switzer $75,000, the largest ever imposed on an NFL coach.

But he said the main factor in deciding Switzer's future will be the success of the team.

Jones has made no secret that the expectations are high. He has said that the Cowboys should be Super Bowl contenders if quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith stay healthy.

"If we missed an opportunity (to win a Super Bowl) in my judgment because of some shortcoming in coaching, then it would impact my evaluation," Jones said.

Switzer, who earns an estimated $1 million a year and has three years left on his contract, including this season, denied that he was a lame-duck coach.

"Why would I be a lame-duck coach?" Switzer said. "Because of the airport incident? If that was going to do it, Jerry would have fired me then."

He added that he had no idea when his tenure as Cowboys coach might end.

"Jerry and I know someday we will settle up this thing," he said. "It might be 15 years from now, it might be 10 years from now. It might be after this year. Nobody knows."