A CBS executive acknowledged in a New...

A CBS executive acknowledged in a New York court that the National Football League’s tactics in negotiating its $2.1-billion television contracts forced his network to pay $700 million or lose the NFL games.

Neal Pilson, executive vice president of the CBS Broadcast Group and the former head of CBS Sports, testified at the United States Football League’s $1.5-billion antitrust suit against the NFL that he and his network were not willing to meet the league’s opening demand for $780 million. That fee would have covered the 1982-86 regular seasons, two Super Bowls and five NFC championship games.

A major USFL contention is that the NFL pressured the networks not to give the USFL a contract for fall play.