Sports
Shaikin: A's want to intervene in Nevada case. For their proposed Vegas stadium, time is money
On Thursday, National Hockey League owners approved the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City. The team will be playing in Salt Lake City next season. Done deal.
In November, Major League Baseball owners approved the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas. The team plans to play in Sacramento for the next three years, with the intention of moving into a new ballpark in Las Vegas in 2028. Done deal?
The A’s themselves might be growing a wee bit concerned, based on a court filing this week.
Quick rewind: The Nevada Legislature last June approved $380 million in public funding toward the new ballpark. The governor promptly signed the bill, which leaves the A’s and owner John Fisher responsible for the balance of the estimated $1.5-billion construction cost.
A Nevada teachers’ union announced two challenges to the public funding, pursuing a referendum that would let voters decide and filing a lawsuit alleging the bill was unconstitutional.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last October that “an adverse development with respect to that referendum … would be a significant development.”
The pitch to voters could be attractive: Do you want to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars to an out-of-state billionaire? In an Emerson College poll of likely Las Vegas voters released this month, 52% opposed public funding for the ballpark and 32% favored it, with 17% unsure.
However, the referendum becomes a little more of a long shot with each passing day. The A’s and their allies have objected to the proposed language of the referendum petition, and the matter remains unresolved after seven months in the Nevada courts.
The union cannot start gathering signatures until the matter is resolved — and would need to collect more than 100,000 signatures by June 26 in order for the referendum to appear on the November ballot.
The lawsuit was filed in February, alleging the public funding violated the state Constitution in as many as five different ways and naming the state of Nevada, the governor and the state treasurer as defendants. Nothing of substance has happened in that case since then.
With the referendum, the clock could run out on the union. With the lawsuit, the clock could run out on the A’s.
So, this week, the A’s asked the court to let them intervene in the lawsuit.
Athletics owner John Fisher speaks during a news conference in Arlington, Texas, in November.
(LM Otero / Associated Press)
The A’s do not claim to be expert defenders of the Nevada Constitution, but they would like their money in a timely manner. That money could be reduced or eliminated if the court were to rule against the state. That money also could be put on hold should the court grant an injunction until the case is decided.
“The Athletics … will be affected if SB 1 is found unconstitutional,” the court filing reads. “Without intervention, the Athletics’ ability to protect its (sic) interests will be impaired.”
Under SB 1, the bill that authorized the public funding, that authorization could expire if the A’s have not executed a development agreement and lease agreement within 18 months of MLB relocation approval — that is, within 13 months from now.
“Failing to meet the timelines for the agreements … risks triggering the termination provisions” of the bill,” A’s president Dave Kaval wrote in a court declaration. “Each year of delay will cost the Athletics millions of dollars.”
As The Times first reported in November, and as Fisher himself confirmed as recently as last month, he is seeking to sell a share of ownership to outside investors for $500 million. He would then use the proceeds to help pay for the new Las Vegas ballpark. Uncertainty around the public funding could spook potential investors.
I emailed each of the three lawyers who signed the A’s filing to ask whether the team was saying the costs to move to Las Vegas could go up by as much as $380 million but the team would still make the move, or whether the team was saying the additional financial burden could be so prohibitive that it may not move to Las Vegas at all. None of the lawyers responded to the emails.
Could be neither. Could be nothing more than the A’s looking out for their interests, rather than entrusting that to a third party. The proposed ballpark site currently is occupied by the now-shuttered Tropicana hotel, with demolition targeted for October. But, as they say, nothing is official until the shovels hit the ground.
Sports
Ole Miss staffer references Aaron Hernandez while discussing ‘chaotic’ coaching complications with LSU
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The chaos between LSU coaches who left Ole Miss alongside Lane Kiffin but are still coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff is certainly a whirlwind.
Joe Judge, Ole Miss’ quarterbacks coach, has found himself in the thick of the drama — while he is not headed for Baton Rouge, he’s had to wonder who he will be working with on a weekly basis.
When asked this week about what it’s like to go through all the trials and tribulations, Judge turned heads with his answer that evoked his New England Patriots days.
Aaron Hernandez sits in the courtroom of the Attleboro District Court during his hearing. Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Odin Lloyd in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22, 2013. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
“My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez,” Judge said, according to CBS Sports. “I know this is still more chaotic.”
Hernandez was found guilty of the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, which occurred just three years into his NFL career.
“If you watch those documentaries, my house is on the TV next door,” Judge added. “The detectives knocked on my door to find out where he was. I didn’t know. We just kind of talked to the organization. But it was obviously chaotic.”
Aaron Hernandez was convicted of the 2013 murder of semipro football player Odin Lloyd. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
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Judge, though, was able to compare the two situations to see how players can combat wild distractions.
“Those players that year handled that extremely well. Came out of that chaos, and we had some really good direction inside with some veterans and some different guys. You have something like that happen — how do you handle something like that? How do you deal with something like that? So you keep the focus on what you can handle, what you can control, which at that time was football for us, and we went through the stretch, and we were able to have success that year,” Judge said.
Judge also compared this scenario to the 2020 NFL season when he was head coach of the New York Giants, saying he would have “no idea” who would be available due to surprise positive COVID-19 tests.
Head coach Joe Judge of the New York Giants looks on during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The game took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 19, 2021. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Rebels face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, the College Football Playoff Semifinal, on Thursday night.
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Calabasas pulled off a huge win in high school basketball on Tuesday night, handing Thousand Oaks its first defeat after 16 victories in a Marmonte League opener.
The Coyotes (13-5) have quietly turned around their season after a 2-4 start, winning 11 of their last 12 games.
One of the major contributors has been 6-foot-3 junior guard Johnny Thyfault, who’s averaging 16 points and has become a fan favorite because of his dunking skills. He also leads the team in taking charging fouls.
He transferred to Calabasas after his freshman year at Viewpoint.
As for beating Thousand Oaks, coach Jon Palarz said, “We got to play them at home and had great effort.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
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The Atlanta Hawks have parted ways with four-time NBA All-Star point guard Trae Young, trading him to the Washington Wizards in a blockbuster move, according to ESPN.
The Hawks will reportedly be receiving veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert in the deal.
Washington was Young’s preferred destination, and the two sides were working on a deal to get the 27-year-old point guard to the nation’s capital.
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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2023 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ( Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Young’s agents were having conversations with the Hawks, who sit at 17-21 so far this season, about trading their client out of Atlanta.
There is a mutual connection in Washington, too, as executive Travis Schlenk drafted Young fifth overall in 2018 out of Oklahoma.
It marks the end of an era for the Hawks. Young has been the focal point of their offense since he was taken in that draft. He is the team’s career leader in three-pointers and assists, having led the team to the postseason in three of his eight seasons. The Hawks went the furthest in 2021, where they made the Eastern Conference Finals.
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However, the new era was brewing already in Atlanta, with forward Jalen Johnson taking the next step in his career, averaging 23.7 points per game this season. The pickup of Nickeil Alexander-Walker also helps, as he’s averaged 20.5 points per game in 36 appearances.
Meanwhile, Young has played just 10 games this season, as he’s been dealing with leg injuries, most notably a right MCL sprain.
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics during Round One Game Five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 25, 2023 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Hawks also get some flexibility on their books, as they could make some more moves. Anthony Davis is reportedly available from the Dallas Mavericks, making him a good target for Atlanta.
Young has $95 million remaining on his deal that runs through the 2026-27 season, which includes a player option this offseason.
Atlanta will be taking on McCollum’s contract, though the veteran guard has a $30.6 million expiring deal.
Through his 10 games this season, Young is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.5% from the field.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks drives down the court during the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers at State Farm Arena on April 7, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Over his career, Young has dropped 25.2 points and 9.8 assists per game, while leading the league in the latter category last season with 11.6 per contest.
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