Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver issued a statement on Thursday that denies a report in the “Philadelphia Daily News” on Wednesday, that claimed Weaver was negotiating to sell the team to New Jersey food king C. Dean Metropoulos.
“In light of news reports from last night, I must once again reiterate the fact that I am not selling the Jaguars. The team is not for sale, and I cannot say it any more clearly than that,” Weaver said in the statement. “I’m not going to speculate about the future – whatever happens in the future, the Jaguars will be the Jacksonville Jaguars. The situation is the same as it was last year when I explained that we were looking into refinancing some debt and the possibility of adding investors. We chose not to, but that has always been an option. That is the situation now, as it was then.
“The clearest example I can offer which demonstrates my commitment to this team and this city is our offseason activity this year. We extended lucrative contracts to our head coach, our quarterback, and several veteran players. And we spent aggressively in free agency as well. Those are not moves that are made if a team is going to be sold. I don’t know how I can be any stronger in reconfirming my commitment to bringing a championship to Jacksonville. We’re excited and energized about the upcoming season and we want our fans to be as excited as we are,” Weaver added.
Jaguars.com is working on a longer version to this story and hopes to have it posted before noon on Thursday.