|
 Two more damaging emails between the Oklahoma-based ownership group that currently owns the Seattle SuperSonics have been released within a deposition with Aubrey McClendon, a minority owner for the Seattle SuperSonics who was fined last year by the NBA for saying in the Oklahoma Journal Record that "we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here." McClendon said during the deposition that the owners of the Sonics had "poured our heart and soul" into trying to find an arena solution in the Seattle area that would allow them to keep the team in Seattle.
KeyArena, where the Sonics currently play, is the NBA’s smallest arena with a seating capacity of 17,072. Aubrey was questioned for six hours on April 16 by city of Seattle attorney Paul Lawrence, as part of Seattle’s federal lawsuit against the Sonics attempting to force the team to fulfill their lease agreement, which expires in 2010. Read the full McClendon depostion at this link, or select the image provided - (PDF) Within the deposition, Lawrence revealed new damaging emails that paint the owners of the Sonics as working to relocate the team to Oklahoma City, nearly from the day of purchase. Regarding comments in The Journal Record, McClendon had apologized to principle owner Clay Bennett for the remarks, but in one of the emails disclosed in the deposition, McClendon replied, "the truth is we did buy it with the hope of moving to Oklahoma City." The deposition also revealed an email in which it is clear that if an arena deal were reached in Seattle the Oklahoma City-based ownership could sell the team at a profit. An email from Clay Bennett reads in part, “If we are successful, we are probably looking at a sweet flip.†Asked to respond to what “sweet flip†meant, McClendon replied, “I would guess what that means is if we were successful in getting a new arena deal, when the old ownership hadn’t been able to, the price of the team would rise or the value of the team would rise, and a sweet flip, I think in that context, means that there would be a lot of people who would want to buy the team with the commitment of a new arena.†In another 2007 email by McClendon, he mentions that his contributions to an anti-gay marriage group would “improve the chances of the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City.†Along with the lawsuit by the City of Seattle, a class action lawsuit by season ticket holders has been filed claiming that the Sonics ownership duped them believing the Sonics would remain in Seattle. Also, Howard Schultz, the former owner of the Sonics, who sold the team to Bennett’s group, has filed a breach of contract lawsuit claiming that the new owners never intended to keep the team in Seattle. The trail date for the lawsuit with the City of Seattle begins on June 16. How has Clay Bennett responded to the email correspondence between himself and his minority ownership? “I feel personal disappointment in that I couldn’t effect the building improvement (to KeyArena),†Bennett said. “I was convinced we could get it done. Now we have to turn our attention to Oklahoma. I’m thrilled for the people of Oklahoma City.†Some information within this report came by way of The Associated Press
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK
|
