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Revenue-sharing plan passes

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Times Staff Writer

NFL owners voted Monday to accept the final unresolved piece of the revenue sharing plan, showing overwhelming support for a system that subsidizes the league’s lower-revenue teams.

The resolution passed by a 30-2 vote, with only Cincinnati and Jacksonville voting against it. The plan requires the top-grossing teams to contribute to a $110-million-per-season pool that will be distributed among the less wealthy teams, provided those lower-grossing teams meet certain “qualifiers” to receive the subsidy.

For instance, teams playing in stadiums built within the last five years do not qualify. And the Bengals, who are heading into their eighth season in their stadium, will receive just 60% of the maximum subsidy of about $8 million per season.

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The Jaguars, who last season lost money for the third time in a decade, evidently felt the plan didn’t go far enough.

The franchise has not been able to sell stadium naming rights -- its home field is Jacksonville Municipal Stadium -- or a significant number of club seats.

The plan is retroactive to 2006 and will continue through 2009. It resolves the last remaining piece of the revenue system put in place last March by then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

“Nobody is happy,” said Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans. “Some [teams] think they are giving too much. Some think they are receiving too little. So, I guess, maybe it’s a good deal that way.”

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Commissioner Roger Goodell today is expected to outline for owners his ideas for a new player-conduct policy, one that could penalize off-the-field offenders even when their cases are still making their way through the legal system.

“I think our players and our coaches and owners feel that at some point we need to be able to act before the judicial process is completed,” he said.

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Goodell was speaking on the same day Las Vegas police announced they would seek felony and misdemeanor charges against Tennessee’s Adam “Pacman” Jones and two others in connection with a February shooting at a strip club. Jones has had 10 different encounters with police.

The commissioner said he expects to have the new conduct policy in place -- and to have made some disciplinary decisions on current cases -- before the NFL draft on April 28.

Asked if sponsors have voiced concerns to the league about the image of players deteriorating, Goodell said they haven’t. “... But I’m not waiting for that,” he said. “In my view, we have to act before we have people complaining about that.

“We believe that we’re held to a higher standard ... players, coaches and everyone involved in the NFL should be held to a higher standard.”

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The New Orleans Saints’ contract to play in the Louisiana Superdome has been extended through the 2010 season.... The league’s Thursday night opener will be played Sept. 6 at Indianapolis with the Colts facing the Saints. On opening Sunday, the national doubleheader is Chicago at San Diego, followed by the New York Giants at Dallas. The Monday doubleheader starts with Baltimore at Cincinnati, followed by Arizona at San Francisco. There will be three Thanksgiving Day games: Green Bay at Detroit, the New York Jets at Dallas, and -- on the NFL Network -- Indianapolis at Atlanta.... St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, who sat out last season because of a knee injury, officially announced his retirement. He will continue working for the NFL Network.... The Philadelphia Eagles acquired linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb from the Buffalo Bills for defensive tackle Darwin Walker and a conditional draft pick in 2008.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com

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