A group of League Championship side Sunderland-supporting TV execs
linked with a move to buy the club have admitted "now is not the right time to do so," according to Damian Spellman of the IRISH INDEPENDENT. Leo Pearlman, Ben Turner and Gareth Turner -- owners of Fulwell 73 Productions -- issued a statement to the club's fans, via publication "A Love Supreme," explaining their reasons. They said, "As life-long Sunderland supporters, it would be the fulfilment of a dream to be involved in the ownership of the club, to put it back into the hands of the fans and to give the whole of Wearside a team to be proud of. ... We have been so touched and inspired by the reaction from our fellow supporters, who rightly deserve their reputation as the best fans in the world. However, due to our other TV and film commitments, now isn't the right time for us to get involved." The trio was reported to be "heading a multi-national consortium" which also included former Arsenal defender Tony Adams and ex-Chelsea Business Affairs Dir Paul Smith, and was backed in part by American money (
IRISH INDEPENDENT, 6/21).