John York "had to assure" the NFL that the 49ers and
gambling "would not mix" before gaining NFL approval to take
over the team, according to Nancy Gay of the S.F. CHRONICLE.
The DeBartolo family's ownership and association with horse
tracks is "widely known," yet the DeBartolo Corp. has not
run the Louisiana Downs, Remington Park in OK City or
Thistledown in Cleveland "for a while now." Those have been
John York's "personal property for several years." Gay:
"The NFL doesn't have a problem with racing. It does have
an aversion to any association with non-pari-mutuel gaming,"
like the slot machines at Louisiana Downs. But after "two
above-board years of running the 49ers' business side as de
facto owner, York has been successful in convincing the NFL
he can operate the 49ers and extricate himself from the
gaming side of his other business." Gay: "What does this
all mean? Quite simply, John York's official assumption of
the 49ers during [the NFL owners meetings in Baltimore]
signals a commitment on his part to run the franchise for
the long haul. He wouldn't have jumped through all the
NFL's hoops if he didn't think the 49ers' franchise was
potentially a greater asset than Louisiana Downs. If the
right buyer offers the right price, you can expect York to
sell the track. At least, that's what the NFL thinks."
York: "They're being fair with me on this -- they're giving
me the time to do it" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/25).