NEW YORK, April 27 (UPI) -- A baseball official said Wednesday the Los Angeles Dodgers had not been "seized" and he chastised club owner Frank McCourt for his comments earlier in the day.
McCourt met with officials of Major League Baseball Wednesday as part of an ongoing move by the sport to ensure the stability of the Dodgers. McCourt presented plans for a television contract between the Dodgers and the Fox Network that would bring the team financial stability, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The newspaper quoted McCourt as saying Commissioner Bud Selig had vetoed the deal and that such a decision was "un-American."
"Nobody handed the Dodgers to me and nobody's going to take them away," the Times quoted McCourt as saying.
Rob Manfred, executive vice president of MLB labor relations said it was "unfortunate that Mr. McCourt felt it necessary to publicize the content of a private meeting."
"It is even more unfortunate that Mr. McCourt's public recitation was not accurate. Most fundamental, Commissioner Selig did not 'veto' a proposed transaction," Manfred said. "Rather, Mr. McCourt was clearly told that the commissioner would make no decision on any transaction until after his investigation into the club and its finances is complete so that he can properly evaluate all of the facts and circumstances.
"Equally important, there has been no seizure of the Los Angeles Dodgers."
Selig recently appointed former Texas Rangers President Tom Schieffer as a "monitor" for the Dodgers.
"A multipage written directive from the commissioner describing (Schieffer's) role has been provided to Mr. McCourt," Manfred said. "In our meeting, no one from the Dodgers asked a single, specific question about the terms of the document setting forth the monitor's role."
McCourt bought controlling interest of the Dodgers from Fox in 2004. He is currently involved in a divorce and ownership of the team has been contested.
