Lions owner Braley did nothing wrong with Argos loans: CFL
B.C. Lions owner David Braley didn't compromise the CFL's integrity by helping Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon purchase the Toronto Argonauts out of bankruptcy in 2003, and continuing to lend the team money, league commissioner Mark Cohon said Tuesday.
The three parties issued a joint statement Tuesday in response to a Globe and Mail report that said Braley put up half of the $2-million franchise fee without the knowledge of then commissioner Tom Wright, and that the role Braley has since played with the Argos is unknown to Cohon.
"There has been no suggestion, nor is there any evidence, that this financial transaction had any effect whatsoever on the competitive integrity of our game," Cohon said. "There is every indication that all three of these gentlemen acted, and continue to act, out of love for the Canadian Football League and respect for its fans."
According to the report, Braley has covered half of the Toronto team's annual operating losses, and he pocketed half the profits from the 2007 Grey Cup game staged at the Rogers Centre.
Citing anonymous sources, the report also said that when the Argonauts were searching for a head coach in the off-season, Braley made calls to people within the league soliciting names of suitable candidates.
Lions defensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides, who turned down an offer for the job that eventually went to Bart Andrus, told the Globe and Mail that he spoke to Braley about the Argos opportunity only once.
Sokolowski and Cynamon admitted Tuesday to receiving money from Braley, but denied he has had anything to do with the running of the Argos — an arrangement that could potentially damage the credibility of the CFL's on-field competition.
"David Braley is not an owner of the Toronto Argonauts and has never been an owner of the Toronto Argonauts, nor has he directed in any way the team's operations," Sokolowski and Cynamon said in the statement. "David Braley is a staunch supporter of the CFL and has only ever acted to protect the league's best interests."
Braley, who told the Globe and Mail that he has made loans occasionally to CFL owners in the past, also defended his actions.
"I am a passionate supporter of our country and those things which make it unique and strong, including the Canadian Football League. For that reason, at a difficult time in the history of the Toronto Argonauts, I offered Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon financial assistance," Braley said in the statement.
"While I am always willing to share my business advice and counsel with any of my fellow governors, I have never directed the operations of the Toronto Argonauts, and I have certainly never been an owner of the Toronto Argonauts."
Sokolowski and Cynamon were named by the NHL earlier this month as potential buyers of the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes.