McCombs Dismisses Reports of Imminent Vikings Sale
Associated Press January 26, 2005
Red McCombs apparently is getting tired of reading about an imminent sale of
his Minnesota Vikings. While McCombs has had the team on the block since 2002,
he issued a brief statement Wednesday dismissing a wave of recent reports. While
McCombs didn't cite any specific reports, the Star Tribune has reported McCombs
recently entered an exclusive negotiating agreement with Arizona businessman
Reggie Fowler. The St. Paul Pioneer Press on Wednesday reported that McCombs
had upped his price on the team to $650 million, from $600 million.
The paper
cited an unnamed ``team source.'' McCombs has never publicly said what he's
asking for the team. ``None of the media reports concerning the potential sale
of the Vikings are correct,'' said McCombs' two-sentence statement, issued through
the Vikings. ``I am continuing to work with our staff on preparing the Vikings
for the 2005 season.'' Neither McCombs nor Fowler returned calls from The Associated
Press on Tuesday and Wednesday. Glen Taylor, a Mankato businessman who owns
the Minnesota Timberwolves, has confirmed he's interested in the Vikings but
has said McCombs' asking price is too high. Forbes magazine last fall estimated
the Vikings' value at $604 million, near the bottom of the magazine's ranking
of the 32 NFL teams but far above the $246 million that McCombs paid for the
team in 1998.