Sunday, January 25, 1998

Reports: Cowboys happy with Irving location despite Arlington talks

DALLAS (AP) -- Despite the Dallas Cowboys' discussions with Arlington leaders, team owner Jerry Jones says there are no plans to move games from Texas Stadium.

A source close to Jones told the Arlington Morning News and The Dallas Morning News in Saturday's editions that the team owner didn't know a Cowboys representative was meeting with Arlington Mayor Elzie Odom and others.

The representative never discussed the meeting afterwards with Jones, the source said.

"We're very happy with our situation in Irving and with Texas Stadium and that's the extent of anything we want to say about where the Cowboys will play their games," said Jones in a written statement released by Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple.

Jud Heflin, the Cowboys' stadium and community development director, said Thursday he represented Jones at the August meeting.

Arlington City Manager George Campbell, Arlington Chamber of Commerce president David Sampson and Ralph Shelton, chamber economic development vice president, acknowledged Friday they discussed how the city could use a stadium finance bill sponsored by an Arlington lawmaker to pay for a Cowboys facility.

At first, Odom said he didn't recall whether officials discussed building a stadium in Arlington.

But later, the mayor said the issue came up during the hourlong meeting at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce while officials were discussing sports-related business topics.

"I didn't leave that meeting thinking that a stadium was even the remotest possibility in Arlington," said Odom.

Irving Mayor Morris Parrish also does not believe the city will lose the team. There have been no other meetings between the Cowboys and Arlington, which has also tried unsuccessfully to lure the Dallas Stars and Mavericks to the midcities.

The Cowboys' agreement with Irving requires the team to play at Texas Stadium through 2006.