Despite a report earlier in the day that indicated there were several prominent athletes, current and former, with a minority stake in the Vegas Golden Knights, team owner Bill Foley refuted the claim.
According to the report from ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell, notable athletes and celebrities were tied to the Golden Knights in a minority owner capacity. The list of names included NFL player Rob Gronkowski, MLB free agent Jose Bautista, and former NHLers Alexei Yashin and Mark Recchi.
Foley, fresh off the announcement of his team’s new name and logo Tuesday night, appeared on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Wednesday to chat about the team’s naming process and to address the rumour.
“The [NHL] goes through a process for every investor…so at this point, there are no minority investors [connected with the organization],” Foley said. “We have talked to the league about bringing in minority investors [but potential investors] haven’t really applied yet. I’d rather not mention names.”
To which he added, “I wouldn’t mind seeing ‘Gronk’ in a Golden Knights jersey.”
LISTEN: Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley on PTS
Just prior to Foley’s appearance on The Fan, Alex Prewitt of Sports Illustrated reported that the ties to sports figures were false.
So that’s that. For now.
Foley also discussed a few odds and ends, including other potential team names such as “Scorpions” and “all kinds of Raptors,” as well as how his general manager George McPhee plans to choose his head coach.
He indicated that the future coach will likely not be a first-timer but will probably be a recognizable name.
“[McPhee’s] looking for a guy who’s coached a couple of other teams,” Foley said, adding, “the coaching position will probably not be resolved during the regular season.”
