San Antonio business exec Red McCombs' purchase of the
Vikings was approved unanimously by NFL owners during their
meetings in Dallas yesterday, according to Don Banks of the
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The sale will become final at the
deal's official closing, which is "anticipated" during the
week of August 17. McCombs said yesterday that he is
"eager" to get to MN to meet his players and "spend some
time selling tickets." McCombs also said partner Gary
Woods, who will oversee the team's operations, "eventually
would own a minority interest in the team," and added that
the "exact makeup of the franchise's minority ownership and
legal structure probably will not be decided until the end
of this year or early next year." McCombs acknowledged that
Minnesotans "should be concerned about" his possibly moving
the team to San Antonio, but he called the Vikings an
"institution" in MN and added, "I will do everything I can
to see that the Vikings are competitive in Minnesota, and I
fully expect them to be" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/29).
