[Editor’s note: Due to the fact that the folks in England denote the date with the day before the month, we didn’t immediately realize that the “11/4/09" designation was actually April 11, not November 4. And while we realized that it’s not November 4 just yet, newspaper web sites have at times applied the date on which a story will appear in print to the online version of if. So, basically, this is news is several months old. We apologize for not realizing this at the time. The substance of the story is accurate.]
Last week, the Glazers were forced to deal with rumors of financial problems that could force a sale of the NFL team they own.
The Glazers strongly denied the rumors, and WDAE radio in Tampa retracted the report that mentioned them -- and suspended host Dan Sileo for uttering them on the air.
This week, the Glazers are faced with a report from a British tabloid regarding financial problems that could force a sale of the soccer club they own.
Per the report, Manchester United faces a debt of roughly $1.79 billion, based on current pounds-to-dollars conversion rates. The report suggests that the Glazers might ultimately be forced to sell controlling interest in the team.
But the report buries the fact that the first chunk -- roughly $122 million -- isn’t due until 2013. The biggest obligation, approximately $978 million, arises in 2017.
So the situation is hardly dire for the Glazers. (Especially if the Mayans were right.)
The Glazers have not yet commented on the report.
Many league observers have speculated that the Glazers have been spending less money on the Buccaneers due to the financial obligations resulting from ownership of the Manchester United club. The Glazers have consistently denied that they are cutting costs relating to their NFL franchise.