58 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 1 2008
N F L OWN E R S
which means that snide remarks are rou-
tinelywhispered.
During a meeting that commissioner
RogerGoodell ispresidingover,whileown-
ers and NFL officials discuss the player-
conduct policy under which Adam Jones,
Terry “Tank” Johnson, and Chris Henry
were suspended in2007, Snyder leans over
to Jones and gets in a good-natured dig,
saying, “You listening to this, Jerry?” (The
Cowboyshave issueduniforms to twoof the
threemiscreants, and the third, Henry, has
proclaimed thathe’d like towear the staron
hishelmet too.)
Amid it all, nobody seems to recognize
the man who paid $550 million for the
guest pass that dangles from the lanyard
around his neck. That is what billionaire
developer StephenRoss paid for half of the
MiamiDolphins, whichwon just one game
last season. Imagine the cost had they not
posted themost dismal season in franchise
history.
Ross waits nervously outside the board-
room as the other owners formally approve
his inclusionamong theirranks. “It’sasense
of excitement,” he says. “As a kid, I always
dreamedabout owninga team.”
Taking on a partner might allow Dol-
phins owner Wayne Huizenga more op-
portunity toplayat anexclusivegolf clubhe
developednearby.How exclusive is theFlo-
ridian?Huizenga and his wife are the only
actual members. Everyone else plays there
at the couple’s invitation. Thosewhoplease
Huizenga tohis satisfactionaregrantedan-
nual memberships in the form of a letter
sent out each year.
Needless to say, Huizenga does not lose
nearly sooftenat golf ashedoes at football.
“It is understood that you are not allowed
to beat him at his club,” one colleague says.
“You go to the final greenwith a chance to
win, look at your partner, and he’s shaking
his head at you. Sometimes that leads to
some strange 12putts on thefinal green.”
In addition to giving the NFL owners a
chance to showoff their collections of linen
and silk, the meetings provide them with
the opportunity to demonstrate gratitude
to their coaches—which,whendoneprop-
erly, often seems to put the invited aboard
theowner’sprivate yacht.
Tuesday night is usually when that hap-
pens. NewOrleans Saints owner TomBen-
son, whose 122-foot luxury yacht,
Lady
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