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To recap, Braley has said there are three parties interested in the Lions. One of those is a local group headed by car magnate Moray Keith and insurance executive Mark Woodall, who’ve been involved with The Waterboys over the years.
They’re not as convinced there are two other entities competing for the team. They’ve also waited patiently as Braley worked his way through, ahem, the ‘process,’ but considering the magnitude of this deal and the many issues which need to be addressed, time is now of the essence.
For starters, the actual sale of the team is going to take 50 to 60 days to be finalized, and that’s if everything goes smoothly. The new owners will have to be vetted by the league. There are lawyers to be consulted and documents to be drawn up. The Lions’ lease with B.C. Place also expires at the end of this season, which means a new deal has to be negotiated with the landlords.
OK, let’s say all that can be concluded in a couple of months. That still takes us to mid-January and just weeks before the CFL’s free-agency period begins on Feb. 1. Crucial personnel decisions have to be made there. There is still the question over who coaches and who manages the new organization along with season-ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.
These are all massive considerations for the new owners. Put it this way: They’re going to be asking their corporate sponsors to invest in the neighbourhood of 100 grand in their vision for the team.
It will be tricky making that ask if there isn’t a head coach or GM in place.
Buono, meanwhile, maintains he hasn’t fully made up his mind about next year. His contract as head coach and GM expires in February but there’s a provision to stay on as a consultant through August. He’s also left the door open about a possible return — you can never accuse Buono about painting himself into a corner — all of which raises more uncertainty.
Braley hasn’t helped there. The Lions have already restructured season-ticket prices for next year and sent out renewal forms. Maybe that qualifies as business as usual, but it’s not business as usual when Braley tells reporters he’s interviewed candidates for the Lions’ vacant presidency while he’s trying to sell the team.
That’s, of course, if he’s trying to sell the team. On top of everything else, there’s some thought that Braley likes the idea of owning the Lions and won’t sell. Without putting too fine an edge on things, that would be a disaster for this franchise.
As mentioned, The Waterboys have waited patiently as all this has unfolded around them. It’s been trying for them, trying for the organization and, most importantly, trying for the Lions’ fan base.
Buono, who’s acted as Braley’s human shield this year, has always said nothing good ever comes of losing and that’s true. But losing amid confusion over ownership, the general manager, the coach and team’s future is something else entirely.
It’s time to clear up that confusion.