First Call: Cowboys owner swats former Steeler; Alex Ovechkin gives injury update; former RMU president up for NCAA gig?
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In Thursday’s “First Call,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones jabs an ex-player who also was a Pittsburgh Steeler. The Penguins’ playoff picture is crystalizing. Alexander Ovechkin provides a health update.
And a surprising new job could be in the works for former Robert Morris University president Chris Howard.
I’m sure the school’s hockey fans will be thrilled to hear about it.
Taco Tuesday
Ex-Steeler Taco Charlton was the subject of some trash talk from one of his former employers Tuesday.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took a swipe at Charlton during a pre-draft press conference. Jones appeared before the media with his son, Stephen (Chief Operating Officer/Player Personnel Director), and coach Mike McCarthy.
At one point, the group was asked who makes the final call on draft choice decisions.
“There’s a lot of talk in this business about who makes the call. Who actually makes the call,” Jerry Jones said. “Taco was Stephen’s call. [Micah] Parsons is my call.”
#Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on who makes the final call in the draft room: “Taco was Stephen’s call. Parsons was my call.”
Jerry is not playing around. pic.twitter.com/aEV5J2FA33
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 26, 2022
Ouch, Jerry! Play nice.
In case you may not remember, Charlton was a 2017 first-round pick for the Cowboys who failed to remain in Dallas beyond September of his third year. Parsons was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.
Hence Jones’ sarcasm. Charlton had a not-so-subtle reply on Twitter.
— Taco Charlton (@TheSupremeTaco) April 26, 2022
Charlton has made more than $10.3 million in his career, $6.9 million of it coming from the Cowboys. He currently is on the Saints roster after playing 11 games with the Steelers last year, recording 18 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
Silver lining
Even though the Penguins lost to the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Tuesday, they didn’t lose ground in the race for third place in the Metropolitan Division standings.
That’s because the fourth-place Washington Capitals also dropped a 4-1 decision against the New York Islanders. So that means the Penguins still have 101 points with one game left against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. The Capitals have 100 points with two games left. They play the Islanders again Thursday, and they play the Rangers on Friday. Both games are in New York.
Atop the Metro standings, the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Rangers 4-3 at Madison Square Garden. So that sews up first place for the Canes. The Rangers will finish second and host the Penguins or Caps, whoever finishes in third place.
The Bruins also locked up at least the top wild card spot by beating the Florida Panthers 4-2 in Boston.
As a result, the Pens will either face the Rangers as the Metro’s third-place team, or they’ll be the last team into the postseason as the second wild card. That would mean they’d flip into the Atlantic Division and play Florida who has already locked up home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference.
Ovi update
The Capitals played that game against the Islanders without Alexander Ovechkin. Their star winger missed the game because of an upper-body injury.
The 50-goal scorer crashed into the end boards during a game against Toronto on Sunday.
“I feel pretty good. We’ll see,” Ovechkin told NBC Sports when asked whether he’d be ready for the first round. “I’m not going to say yes or no, but right now we just (made) a decision to not play (tonight) and we’ll see what’s going to happen next game.”
"It's a pretty cool moment for me, for the organization, for the fans, for my family."
Alex Ovechkin talks goal records, his status for the playoffs, and MORE with @RealSmokinAl pic.twitter.com/pblM1bQ9Y9
— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) April 26, 2022
Ovechkin played 77 games this season so far. He’s played at least that many 13 times in his career. He had eight goals and 12 points this month before the injury.
Up for consideration?
On Tuesday, the NCAA announced that President Mark Emmert would be stepping down when his replacement is found, or no later than June 30, 2023.
Imagine the surprise of hockey fans at Robert Morris University to see this tweet from ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel. He suggested that former RMU President Chris Howard might be a candidate to replace Emmert.
A few names for NCAA President: Washington State President Kirk Schultz, Oliver Luck, Baylor president Linda Livingstone, Clemson president Jim Clements and former Robert Morris president Chris Howard. Could there be an interim like Bob Bowlsby for 2/3 years?
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 26, 2022
Howard left the university in January to join Arizona State University as its executive vice president and chief operating officer. That was less than a month after the school reinstated the men’s and women’s hockey programs after Howard cut them from the school’s budget in May 2021.
The manner in which Howard went about eliminating the programs put the school on the brink of legal action. Multiple attorneys — including Jeffery Kessler who successfully represented Division I athletes resulting in a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling against the NCAA last year — contacted the school making legal allegations about the timing and process of how the university initially cut the teams.
So, yeah, that probably deserves a promotion to run the entire NCAA. Why not? I mean, it’s not like he would cut hockey from every school.
Would he?