As the revived Vikings stadium bill continues its zombie march through the Minnesota Legislature, a member of the Senate who accused the Vikings last week of refusing to provide financial information has made a direct request to the team for such data.
Senator Scott Dibble, a Democrat, sent a letter on Wednesday to the Vikings asking that the same financial information previously disclosed to Governor Mark Dayton be provided to the Senate.
On Thursday, the stadium bill will be presented to the Senate Taxes Committee, a committee on which Sen. Dibble serves.
In a letter forwarded to PFT by Sen. Dibble’s office, he requests an audited balance sheet, including annual revenues, sources of revenues, annual expenses, expenses by category, purchase price of the team, current value of the team, debt, and purpose of the debt. He also seeks information regarding league-wide revenue sources that are expected to increase or decrease in the next two years, along with the sources of the team’s proposed contribution to the stadium plan.
One problem with making that information available to the Senate is that it could be leaked or otherwise publicized — indeed, the letter seems to suggest that Dibble plans to share the information publicly. We can’t imagine the Vikings sharing any information absent clear assurances and commitments that it will remain private.