New Vikings Owner Red McCombs said that "his desire to
move quickly in his new job has him planning -- for now --
not to bring back any of the 10 outgoing Vikings co-owners
as minority partners," according to Don Banks of the
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. McCombs' top associate, Gary
Woods, said at the NFL owners meetings last week that any
decision on whether some outgoing owners would be minority,
non-voting partners would come at the end of this year or
early next year, once McCombs structured his ownership under
a corporation or partnership. McCombs: "I'm just not going
to add any investors right now." McCombs previously had
said that he could own either 100% of the team's holdings or
as little as 60%. Woods last week said that he eventually
would hold a minority interest in the team. In addition, MN
business exec Don McNeely did not sell his 4% interest in
the team when the 10 co-owners sold the Vikings holding
company to McCombs (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/2). In St.
Paul, Jeff Seidel reported that when McCombs was asked "if
he planned to add any of the previous owners within the next
three years, he said he did not" (PIONEER PRESS, 8/2).
A TEXAS MAVERICK: In St. Paul, columnist Tom Powers
wrote that McCombs "will take some getting used to. ... One
thing is for sure: He's different. Based on what we know of
the previous ownership, different probably is good. But
we'll see" (Tom Powers, ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/2).