Prospective Vikings Owner Tom Clancy on Monday "asked
for and was denied a one-week delay to address the NFL's
concerns about his finances," according to Don Banks of the
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
instead gave Clancy "until the close of business Wednesday"
to provide written response to the league's concerns.
Clancy's group had been expected to make a preliminary
presentation before the NFL's Finance Committee Monday at
the league meetings in Miami, but neither Clancy nor his
partner Marc Ganis attended. Saints Owner Tom Bensen, on
Clancy's absence: "If I were him and I was that interested,
I'd be here. That might send a bad message (otherwise)."
Ganis told Banks: "It didn't really make sense for us to
come down there. All we were going to do is say the same
thing we said to the commissioner last Monday (in New York)"
(Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/19). NFL Oilers Owner Bud
Adams: "We really have a lot of questions ... and even as
prolific as (Clancy) is, I'm not sure that he can write fast
enough to answer them all" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 5/19).
CLANCY REAX: In Minneapolis, Paula Parrish reports that
Vikings co-Owners Wheelock Whitney and Jaye Dyer indicated
Clancy's bid to buy the team "is all but finished" after his
no-show. Dyer: "From what I can put together, it sounds
like (his bid) is deader than a doornail" (STAR TRIBUNE,
5/19). In Minneapolis, columnist Patrick Reusse writes that
"it has turned out Clancy was a fraud" (STAR TRIBUNE, 5/19).
In St. Paul, columnist Bob Sansevere writes that "even
wackier than Clancy are the current millionaire owners of
the Vikings. What were these folks thinking? A better
question: Were they thinking?" (PIONEER PRESS, 5/19).
