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The crew was saved after all.
About a year after Anthony Precourt, owner of Columbus Crew, attempted to transfer the team to Austin, the MLS announced that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam – whose company Pilot Flying J was still struggling with federal trial – would soon buy the crew at Precourt and keep it in town. Haslam joined the Columbus-based bigwig Pete Edwards Jr., and although the sale was not finalized, the terms apparently see the new group resume exploitation rights while Precourt retains its participation in the league. Ian Thomas first reported the news of Haslam's participation.
Precourt will still have his Austin MLS team, as the league also said he was "thrilled to be able to move on to Austin with Precourt Sports Ventures and his vision of Austin FC. Whatever the scenario in Columbus, PSV has clearly decided to exploit Austin FC as a football club for the Major League.
Since it is the MLS, a centrally controlled league with obscure property rules, the details of what exactly is bought and sold must be explained. Jeff Carlisle of ESPN:
An informed source of the situation indicated that the group of investors was considering buying a stake in the league in which he acquired the rights to the Crew. Current owner Anthony Precourt, meanwhile, will transfer his rights to Austin. The source added that the goal of the new investor group is to keep existing crew, technical and front-office personnel in Columbus. The source would not disclose how much the investor group would have to pay to acquire ownership rights on the Crew, but only that the talks were at an advanced stage.
Grant Wahl Reports that the new ownership group is already actively looking at Columbus Stadium sites. Haslam certainly has enough to cover the costs. Anyway, congratulations to the MLS for the resolution of its first saga of modern stadium scam.
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