The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball earlier this month “terminated the Gastonia Honey Hunters’ membership” as they had more than $1M in "unpaid debt," according to Kara Fohner of the GASTON GAZETTE. A lawsuit filed Friday by the city of Gastonia alleges that real estate magnate Brandon Bellamy, the president of the company that operates the Honey Hunters, received a letter Aug. 28 stating that the team was "in violation of the Atlantic League Bylaws and the League Affiliation Agreement." The letter said that if the team did not make efforts to pay its more than $1.1M debt and improve its financial standing, its "membership in the league would be revoked." The Honey Hunters, which played their inaugural season in 2021, came "under fire in July for financial problems," as the organization "owed the city of Gastonia $35,808 for the current year’s lease and $50,000 in management commissioners." In addition to not paying its bills, the team also has “not properly maintained" CaroMont Health Park, which it leases from the city. The lawsuit says that the organization in August 2023 “failed to pay the gas bill” for the ballpark. The gas supply was "shut off, and the emergency generator at the stadium malfunctioned." The city incurred costs for "diagnostic service and repair for the emergency generator." Atlantic League President Rick White confirmed that the Honey Hunters “were terminated,” but said that the league “intends to field a team in Gastonia in 2024” (GASTON GAZETTE, 11/22).
