Hansen (r) yesterday morning sent a contrite letter to RSL players and coaches after his radio commentsGETTY IMAGES
Several parties have "expressed interest in buying" Real Salt Lake from Owner Dell Loy Hansen, including the Larry H. Miller group, which owns the Jazz and the Triple-A PCL Salt Lake Bees, according to Alex Vejar of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. Others who have expressed interest publicly are Qualtrics co-Founder & CEO Ryan Smith and Toronto FC F Jozy Altidore, who on Twitter wrote that he is "involved in a group looking to buy the franchise." Texans DE J.J. Watt, who is married to Utah native and Chicago Red Stars F Kealia Watt, on Twitter wrote that he is "interested in buying the team." MLS Commissioner Don Garber yesterday announced that Hansen "will sell Utah Soccer Holdings, which includes Real Salt Lake, [NWSL] Utah Royals FC and [USL Championship] Real Monarchs." The sale "would include the Real Salt Lake Academy High School, the Zions Bank Real Academy and Rio Tinto Stadium," and it "will also include the RSL Foundation." Hansen has been under investigation by MLS and the NWSL for "allegedly making racist comments that have surfaced in recent days." Hansen yesterday morning sent a letter addressed to RSL players and coaches "in which he apologized and sought 'forgiveness for these failures.'" He specifically mentioned RSL D Nedum Onuoha, who "spoke out strongly against Hansen's radio comments and told the BBC that he no longer wanted to be at the club" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 8/31).
OPEN COMMUNICATION: ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle cited a source as saying that while Garber and Hansen "had spoken multiple times over the last several days, Hansen arrived at his decision to sell on his own." Both MLS and the NWSL last Thursday announced that they "would be conducting investigations into Hansen's behavior." MLS "could have forced Hansen to sell the side, but it was unclear whether a similar mechanism existed within the NWSL." MLS' BOG "can terminate an owner's interest in a team if 75% of the owners vote to do so." Owners would need to find that "the team operator or any owner has failed to act in the best interest of the league" (ESPN.com, 8/30).
MIXED LEGACY: In Utah, Edward & McDonald note Hansen "will depart the club with a tainted reputation." A report from The Athletic, combined with his criticism of his own players, "had many fans announcing on social media they were canceling their season tickets, with #DLHOUT becoming a popular hashtag." While Hansen "wasn't always the most popular owner with fans, he made numerous upgrades to Rio Tinto Stadium to enhance the fan experience -- including the 4,200 square-foot video board at the south end of the stadium." In addition, Hansen in '14 started the Real Monarchs, an affiliate for RSL that won the USL Championship title in '19. Hansen in '17 "bought the NWSL franchise, which had folded in Kansas City." In a league in which many owners "fail to invest adequately in their clubs, Hansen was a leader." Hansen most notably "financed this summer the league's Challenge Cup in Utah," which became the first team sporting event to occur in the U.S. in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic (DESERET NEWS, 8/31).
