The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Authority won’t sign off on an agreement to build the new Minnesota Vikings stadium until further investigation of the Wilf family’s business dealings concludes, the Star Tribune reports.
The MSFA was scheduled to sign an agreement with the Vikings on August 23, but legal trouble for the Wilf family has put that meeting on hold.
Last week, a New Jersey judge found that Vikings principal owner Zygi Wilf, his brother and co-owner Mark Wilf, and their cousin Leonard Wilf committed fraud in a civil case that took place more than 20-years ago.
“While the due diligence review is underway, the MSFA and the Minnesota Vikings will continue to work to complete the Use and Development Agreements that will outline the business relationship between the parties,” MSFA chair Michele Kelm-Helgen said in a statement Tuesday. “As the agreements are not finalized and with the additional work underway, the MSFA board will not consider these agreements on August 23, 2013. A future meeting to consider these agreements will be scheduled.”
The Wilfs released a statement last week saying the New Jersey fraud case would have no effect on their ability to pay their portion ($477 million) of the proposed $975 million stadium.
We’re hopeful this delay won’t result in something as bad as the infamous “12 men in the huddle” penalty against the Vikings in the 2009 NFC Championship game. Some teams just have bad luck …
