SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) February 6, 1997 FIELDCREST CANNON, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) DELAWARE 1-5137 56-0586036 (State or other jurisdiction (Commission (IRS Employer of incorporation) File Number) Identification No.) One Lake Drive, Kannapolis, NC 28081 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code (704) 939-2000 Not Applicable (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.) Total pages 5 Page 1 Exhibit index page 3 Item 5. Other Events On February 6, 1997 the Registrant amended its Rights Agreement dated as of November 24, 1993, between the Registrant and The First National Bank of Boston. Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits (c) Exhibits 4.1 First Amendment to Rights Agreement dated as of February 6, 1997 between Fieldcrest Cannon, inc. and The First National Bank of Boston. Signatures Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. FIELDCREST CANNON, INC. Registrant By: /s/ T. R. Staab T. R. Staab Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dated: February 14, 1997 Page 2 EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Sequential Number Page Number 4.1 First Amendment to Rights Agreement 4 - 5 dated as of February 6, 1997 between Fieldcrest Cannon, Inc. and The First National Bank of Boston. /TABLE Page 3 Exhibit 4.1 FIRST AMENDMENT TO RIGHTS AGREEMENT THIS FIRST AMENDMENT TO RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of February 6, 1997 (the "Amendment"), between Fieldcrest Cannon, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company") and The First National Bank of Boston, a national banking association, as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent"). WITNESSETH: + WHEREAS, on November 24, 1993, the Company and the Rights Agent entered into a Rights Agreement, dated as of such date (the "Agreement"), pursuant to which the Board of Directors of the Company authorized and declared a dividend distribution of one Right (as defined in the Agreement) for each share of Common Stock of the Company, each Right initially representing the right to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the Company and such other rights as set forth in the Rights Agreement; and WHEREAS, no Distribution Date (as defined in the Agreement) has occurred; and WHEREAS, the Company has directed the Rights Agent to enter into this Amendment in order to amend Section 11(a)(ii)(B) of the Agreement as set forth herein. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, the parties hereby agree as follows: 1. Section 1(a) of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended by adding at the end of Section 1(a) the following: Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Board of Directors determines in good faith that a Person who would otherwise be an Acquiring Person as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a) has become such inadvertently, and such Person divests as promptly as practicable sufficient number of shares of Common Stock so that such Person would no longer be an Acquiring Person, as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), then such Person shall not be deemed to be an "Acquiring Person" for any purposes of this Agreement. 2. Section 11(a)(ii)(B) is hereby amended by adding the underscored language set forth below: Page 4 (B) Any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such Plan), alone or together with its Affiliates and Associates, shall, at any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date, become the Beneficial Owners of 15% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding, unless the event causing the 15% threshold to be crossed is a transaction described in the last sentence of Section (1)(a) hereof, or set forth in Section 13(a) hereof,... IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed and their respective corporate seals to be hereunto affixed and attested, all as of the day and year first above written. FIELDCREST CANNON, INC. By: /s/ James M. Fitzgibbons Name: James M. Fitzgibbons Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ATTEST: By: /s/ M. Kenneth Doss Name: M. Kenneth Doss Title: Secretary THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON By: /s/ Gordon C. Stevenson Name: Gordon C. Stevenson Title: Director, Client Administration ATTEST: BY: /s/ Tyler H. Haynes, III Name: Tyler H. Haynes, III Title: Senior Account Manager Page 5