Amid all the hoopla associated with the official groundbreaking of the new Vikings Stadium on Tuesday comes some comments from team owner Zygi Wilf,
Before Wilf picked up his golden shovel to be photographed with other dignitaries, KSTP grabbed him for a few off-the-cuff comments, which found the team owner to be evasive on a number of pointed questions.
When the station asked Wilf how much money the owner would pay “out of his pocket” for the stadium, he said it would not be known until the project was completed, but said that taxpayers “absolutely” got a fair deal in the stadium project. When asked if he would profit from the stadium, he answered that “Every businessman looks to make a return” on investments.
The station also asked him about the real estate deal in New Jersey. Along with his brother and cousin, Wilf was ordered to pay $85 million to a former partner who is now dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease. When asked if he would apologize to the partner, Wilf would only say that he plans to appeal the judge’s multimillion dollar decision.
MPR News quoted Wilf at the site of the official groundbreaking, full of anticipation for the start of the project.
“It feels very exciting. Since the first day we were owners, we always dreamt that we would get a new stadium and a championship,” Wilf said. “So we’re finally on the way to building a new stadium. It’s an exciting day.”
