Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 12, 1990                   TAG: 9003123122
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ORLANDO, FLA.                                 LENGTH: Short

NFL WONDERING ABOUT PAY RAISES

Almost as soon as the owners unanimously approved the new contract, which will bring in $3.64 billion over the next four years - an average of $32 million per team per year - they began to think about the likely escalation of salaries.

"It will start going up as soon as we finish the first round of the draft," said Mike Lynn, president of the Minnesota Vikings, who traded his first-round pick in the Herschel Walker deal but has a half-dozen discontented veteran stars to re-sign.

"The history of the NFL has been that by the end of the contract, the profits have already been eaten up by the increased salaries."

The new TV contract and the expanded schedule - two new playoff teams, plus 16 games over 17 weeks for the next two years and 18 weeks thereafter - was approved in about an hour as the annual owners' session officially opened.

Then, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns and chairman of the television committee emerged to make everything official.

The new agreement includes five networks - CBS for the NFC and NBC for the AFC on Sunday; Turner Broadcasting for Sunday night cable in the first half of the season, ESPN for the second half and ABC for Monday nights and the two new playoff games. ABC will get the 1991 Super Bowl; CBS for 1992 and NBC for 1993 with one of the three paying an additional $40 million for 1994.