Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his team filed "a real good brief" in its challenge of a $10 million salary cap reduction by the NFL, and followed the rules before being penalized.
A hearing is set Thursday before arbitrator Stephen Burbank on appeals by the Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, whose cap was reduced by $36 million. The two NFC East teams were penalized for overloading contracts in the 2010 uncapped season despite league warnings.
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"I know we followed the rules, and the league has not said that we did not follow the rules, and those were approved contracts," Jones said Wednesday. "But this is a complicated issue."
Both teams will be represented by attorneys at Thursday's hearing, which is the first step in the appeals process.
Jones wouldn't elaborate on his team's brief or what specifically he anticipates from the hearing.
"I can't, and won't, address the specifics and certainly wouldn't dare try to predict what the resolution would be," he said. "I'm glad we've got an opportunity to present it under the labor agreement to a mediator, and that's what (Thursday) is all about. ... It won't resolve the issue, but it will help decide whether or not we can go before a mediator."
Jones said there are highly technical issues involved, but again didn't go into details.
Dallas split its $10 million reduction, taking a $5 million cut this year and the rest next season, if the penalty isn't overturned.
According to Breer, the hearing is expected to be small and last just one day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
