Frank and Jamie McCourt talk Dodgers future, divorce settlement
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Comments from the news conferences after the Friday morning announcement of a divorce settlement between Frank and Jamie McCourt:
From Frank McCourt:
‘I’m very, very pleased we have put this matter behind us. Now we can focus on baseball again.’
‘It has dragged out far too long. I’m sorry that the fans have had to go through this. I feel horrible about it. But I’m really pleased and relieved today that we can finally put this phase behind us and move forward and go play and win baseball games.’
‘When you’re talking about a very long marriage and going through all that we went through to get this wrapped up, you’re not going to sit here and say you’re happy. It is not a happy thing. But it is a feeling of relief. I am pleased. I am pleased for everybody, from the community to my children to the fans to me -- and to Jamie, quite frankly -- that we can put this phase of our lives behind us and we can go rebuild our lives.’
The settlement is contingent upon Major League Baseball’s approval of a long-term television contract with Fox. Would he sue if MLB rejects the contract?
‘I fully expect MLB to approve the Fox transaction. MLB has taken the position that, before they approved the transaction, they wanted to see either a settlement of the divorce, or Jamie’s consent, or an order from the judge. Today, they received all three. I fully expect that they will be good to their word, and they’ll approve the transaction in a timely way.’
Can he meet payroll on June 30 without approval of the Fox contract?
‘Yes ... I fully anticipate that to be a moot point.’
PHOTOS: The Dodgers and the McCourts
The settlement also requires him to establish the Dodgers as his sole property or else split the assets 50-50. If he cannot, does that mean the Dodgers would be sold?
‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.’
From Jamie McCourt:
‘I’m just hoping for resolution. I hope this is a step toward that resolution. I’ll be happy when there is final resolution.’
‘I love the Dodgers. I love the community. I love the fans. I just will focus on what I have to focus on now to get to the next step.’
‘The most important thing for me is to have resolution. I think it’s the most important thing for my family, my children, certainly the fans, and certainly baseball. The quicker there is resolution, which is what we have been trying to accomplish for the past two years, the better.’
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-- Bill Shaikin