New York Giants owner John Mara didn't do himself any favors among his NFC East brethren Sunday.
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A couple of hours after the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskinsofficially filed a joint grievance against the NFL for the salary-cap penalties levied against them, Mara, chair of the NFL Management Council, gave his take on the state of two of his team's chief rivals.
"I thought the penalties imposed were proper," Mara told ESPNDallas.com. "What they did was in violation of the spirit of the salary cap. They attempted to take advantage of a one-year loophole, and quite frankly, I think they're lucky they didn't lose draft picks."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the site: "That's John's opinion. That's not my opinion."
As head of the council that imposed the penalties, Mara has vested interest in how the grievances play out. The NFL docked the Redskins $36 million and the Cowboys $10 million for manipulating contracts during the 2010 uncapped year, and NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported the arbitration case will be heard by Professor Stephen Burbank of the University of Pennsylvania.
"Within the confines of our collective bargaining agreement, we are trying to have a voice and a hearing in terms of our cap situation," Cowboys director of player personnel Stephen Jones said Sunday.