PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : Knee Surgery for Cowboys’ Novacek

Dallas Cowboy tight end Jay Novacek was to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Saturday night to repair a partial tear of his medial meniscus.

Novacek originally injured the knee in the fourth quarter of the game two weeks ago at Philadelphia. He aggravated the injury in practice Friday.

An MRI exam detected the tear Saturday morning.

Novacek will not travel to Tempe, Ariz., for Monday night’s game between the Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals. Team officials said the timetable for his return will not be determined until after Christmas.

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NFL owners may await the outcome of a trial in Cleveland before voting on the proposed move of the Browns to Baltimore.

A special league meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17 in Atlanta so the clubs can act on owner Art Modell’s request to move the Browns. The Washington Post, citing sources around the league, reported Saturday the vote isn’t likely to take place.

NFL spokesman Joe Browne said a decision would depend on three factors--the result of a report Jan. 4 by the NFL’s finance committee, a league office analysis and the court case.

A trial starts Feb. 12 in Cleveland to determine whether the city will be granted a permanent injunction to make the Browns honor their lease with Cleveland Municipal Stadium that runs through 1998.

The Post’s sources said NFL owners and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue prefer to wait until the trial is over before taking a vote because they do not want any decision used in the trial. Browne said no decision had been made.