Cowboys owner helped Petrino exit

Bobby Petrino's abrupt resignation from the Falcons capped a week of intense meetings and maneuvers that included calls from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a late-night meeting at Blank's Buckhead home and a private plane sent to take Petrino away. afternoon and told the Falcons owner he had gotten a call from the chairman of the board at Arkansas. The school wanted permission to speak to Petrino, Blank said. "I almost dropped the phone," Blank said. "From my perspective, the answer is no," Blank said he told Jones. But Blank told Jones to call Rich McKay, the Falcons' president and general manager, for a formal answer. On Friday, Petrino called Blank to tell him he was thinking of returning to college coaching. Frank Broyles, who was in Atlanta on Wednesday on unrelated business, told the Journal-Constitution about Jones' contact with Blank. "What I have heard is that [Jones and Blank] are good friends," Broyles said. "I was told Jerry got permission from Arthur Blank. Jerry talked to Arthur to get an interview. What happened after that, I don't know." Blank and McKay both said Wednesday they never granted that permission.

Atlanta Journal Constitution