Fowler

[Down to Earth]

Chad Hartman was talking about this on KFAN today and here is an article I just found as well.

Jeff Wheeler / AP file Did potential Vikes owner lie on bio?

Fowler reportedly never played in NFL, CFL, Little League World Series Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler

The Associated Press

Updated: 9:16 p.m. ET Feb. 16, 2005MINNEAPOLIS - A public relations firm representing prospective Minnesota Vikings owner Reggie Fowler issued a revised “fact sheet” on Fowler Wednesday after questions were raised about the accuracy of an official biography.

Fowler’s original bio claimed he played in the NFL and CFL and in the Little League World Series as an 11-year-old, and implied that he earned a business administration and finance degree from the University of Wyoming.

The Star Tribune reported Wednesday that the claims were incorrect or overstated. Fowler, a former University of Wyoming linebacker, never made it out of an NFL training camp and doesn’t appear in player databases for either league.

Little League officials said they had no record of Fowler on any roster of teams that played in the Series, and University of Wyoming records show Fowler’s degree actually is in social work, the Star Tribune reported.

Fowler, 46, was introduced Monday at a news conference to announce a tentative $625 million deal for him to acquire the Vikings. The bio sheet was given to reporters and attributed to Spiral Inc., his Arizona company.

A call to Spiral’s offices Wednesday by The Associated Press was referred to a spokeswoman, Leslie Kupchella, who didn’t immediately return a phone call.

Kupchella told the Star Tribune that a new “Reggie Fowler Fact Sheet” was issued with some changes that resulted from “conversations” with Fowler.

The new sheet includes no Little League mention and clarifies his degree was in social work, though it also lists “emphasis of study in business and finance” and “enrolled in MBA program.” It clarifies that Fowler attended training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, but still includes playing in 1983 for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.

Chris Downs, a Little League spokesman, told the Star Tribune he examined rosters and teams from the late 1960s and early 1970s, about the period when Fowler would have been the right age to play. A team from Tucson, where Fowler grew up, was in the World Series in 1973 — when Fowler would have been 14 years old — but Fowler’s name isn’t on the roster.

“I’m quite certain he didn’t participate in the Little League World Series,” Downs told the paper Wednesday. “I’m confident in saying that’s inaccurate.”

Fowler stands to become the NFL’s first black owner if the league approves the sale. Owners are scheduled to meet in March in Hawaii; league rules require 24 of the 32 owners to approve a sale.

His Spiral Inc., based in Chandler, Ariz., has divisions that include real estate, aviation, manufacturing, agricultural, entertainment and baning industries.

[the clam]

LIES , LIES , LIES ITS ALL LIES AHHHHHHH !!!!!!

JUS HAD TO GET THAT OUT

[Riverratpete]

Was a recruiter for 16 years,saw a lot of resumes, interviewed lots of diffrent types of people for a lot of diffrent positions and ran inumerable background checks, got 3 words.....Snake Oil Salesman. If Mr. Fowler isn't aware of what is being written and put out about him, how is he suppose to run the vikes?..just a thought

[Guest]

I have 3 words as well...

Los Angeles Vikings

[Born2Fish]

CALLING GLEN TAYLOR!!

[lawdog]

Quote:

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I have 3 words as well...

Los Angeles Vikings

---

Here are three more:

NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!

[Guest]

Dont be so sure...

He's buying this as an investment.

3 more.....

REMEMBER NORM GREEN

[lawdog]

The lease is solid through 2010 and it would cost a gazillion dollars to break it. L.A. will have a team before then...

Besides I've said all along I think these guys are buying the team with an eye towards the development in Anoka County where they own the land and will make mega fortunes off it when the Vikes go out there. There is ENORMOUS money to be made in owning lots of land out that way if this goes...

[Riverratpete]

You may be on to something, dosen't Heckers have a car place up on 65 there in Blaine?.....hhhmmm

[the clam]

WITH HECKER INVOLVED , WHO KNOWS IM SURE HES GOT SOME PULL SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW ? GOD KNOWS HES GOT MONEY $$$$

[lawdog]

None of them are any short on money. Good grief Fowler alone has a net worth of $400,000,000. That ain't chump change boys!!!!

[the clam]

TRUE ! BUT 400 MILLION ISENT ENOUGH TO HAVE A PRO NFL TEAM

THATS WHY HE NEEDED THE BACKING !!!!!

[knoppers]

OK,he has enough money to buy the team, but he has no money left to buy a new stadium. it will be interesting how this works out. he says he is moving here, but how long will it be untill winter kicks his (Contact US Regarding This Word) back to some warmer climate.

just keep moss here, thats all.

[M.T. Bucket]

Quote:

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If Mr. Fowler isn't aware of what is being written and put out about him, how is he suppose to run the vikes?

---

Oh, he was perfectly aware. I heard him on the radio trying to justify each of these false credentials--sounds pretty disingenuous to me. Here is a transcript of an interview he did on Minnesota Public Radio:

Fowler apologizes for misleading bio

February 18, 2005

Bloomington, Minn. — The original fact sheet on Fowler claimed he played in a Little League World Series as a kid, had earned a business-related degree in college and had played professional football in the U.S. and Canada. Earlier this week reporters from the Star Tribune discovered these statements to be misleading and, at worst, just plain false.

"I did not lie about being involved in the Little League World Series," he said.

Fowler says when he was a kid, the baseball team he played for in Arizona won the state championship. He says that enabled them to play in a tournament in California which they referred to as "the world series." Fowler says it was not the same Little League World Series, which is held each year in Pennsylvania.

"But most people would equate the World Series with the Williamsport," a reporter said.

"Back in 1971, I don't know that we did," Fowler replied.

"But today..." the reporter began.

"But today is 2005. I don't know that I would agree with you. I don't look at the world series... just like when you were eight years old and you played the Super Bowl. When you played Pop Warner football it was the Super Bowl. So if I wrote on my resume I played in the Super Bowl, you're going to say 'you played in the Super Bowl.' Well I did. I played Pop Warner and we played the super bowl," Fowler said.

Fowler's original resume also said he played professional football in the National Football League, the Canadian Football League and the now defunct United States Football League. But reporters haven't been able to find proof of Fowler being on any of the teams he mentioned. Most teams don't keep a list of names of people who try out for them in training camp. But Fowler says "trying out" to him means he played on those teams.

"While I was in training camp I had a helmet on, I played. I played with the team. But I was in training camp. I was not on the active roster. I played with them," he said.

Fowler's resume claimed that he graduated from the University of Wyoming with a business degree when he actually earned a degree in social work. Fowler says the resume was written 15 years ago and was presented in a way to make him look better to possible employers.

"You have to remember, I've owned my company for the last 15 years," Fowler said. "I've never had to apply for a job. If you ask for bio information from me, we put the same consistent information that would be in there. But 15 years ago, when I was looking for companies, I don't think they want to hire a guy in social work. I think they want to hire a guy with a business degree."

Fowler's PR agents have updated his resume. They removed the reference to the Little League World Series and clarified his training camp experience with the Cincinnati Bengals. His new resume also lists his degree in social work, but also says he had an emphasis on business and finance, and that he enrolled in an MBA program.

Of course the big question is whether Fowler's finances stand up to the scrutiny of the NFL. Fowler has declined to answer questions about his personal net worth. But he says he's confident he has the money to buy the team. And he says the discrepancies in his resume shouldn't make Vikings fans doubt his credibility.

"All I can tell you is that I'm passionate about acquiring the Minnesota Vikings. I still want to be part of your community. I want to be accepted in your community. I'm going to do everything I can to show you that over the course of this evalutation process that the NFL is taking me through," he said.

The NFL is expected to make a decision on Fowler's purchase agreement with current owner Red McCombs in three to 10 weeks.

[Born2Fish]

I also found it interesting that Fowlers PR agent stopped the meeting very short. And the way it sounded on the news when they showed clips of it, was that more than one reporter was angry that it was ending so abruptly.

[buzzsaw]

So heres the latest from ESPN:

Report: Fowler has been sued over 36 times

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS -- When it sits down March 9 and 10, the NFL Finance Committee will take its first hard look at the career and business dealings of would-be Minnesota Vikings owner Reggie Fowler.

And when it does, the Star Tribune reported Sunday, league officials might find:

· Fowler or his businesses have been sued more than three dozen times in the Phoenix and Denver areas in a variety of disputes over the past 15 years, according to a search of court records by the newspaper.

· He has borrowed heavily against several of his commercial properties in the Phoenix area.

· He is the landlord of a business owner who was involved in a college basketball point-shaving scam many years ago.

· His divorce records are sealed in Arizona's Maricopa County court.

"The NFL will want to verify that the prospective owner is strong enough financially so the team will have some stability," said Andy Zimbalist, a sports economist at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. "His entire business career will be laid bare."

In appearances before reporters last week, Fowler declined to disclose his net worth -- meaning his total assets minus his debt -- but insisted he has the wherewithal to complete the purchase from current owner Red McCombs. They haven't disclosed the sale price, but reports have put the figure at $625 million.

When the NFL analyzes Fowler's ability to come up with $150 million -- the 30 percent share he would need to put up as general partner under NFL rules -- it will "almost certainly" look at his net worth, Zimbalist told the newspaper.

Fowler formed his main company, Spiral Inc., of Chandler, Ariz., in 1989. Its holdings include a flight-simulator manufacturer in Centennial, Colo.; a cattle ranch in Haxtun, Colo.; a real estate development company in Chandler; a manufacturer of foam trays for supermarkets in Denver, and a children's indoor playground in Chandler.

The Star Tribune reported that according to Thomson Gale, a business information service, Spiral generated $314 million in revenue in 2003. However, Thomson Gale told the Star Tribune it got that figure through a telephone call to Spiral and not from actual financial reports.

Fowler would neither confirm nor deny that number, the Star Tribune reported.

In addition to Spiral, Fowler has said he owns $300 million in real estate in Arizona and Colorado.

The Star Tribune said Fowler, like most real estate developers, borrows against some of the property he buys or owns.

In 1998, the newspaper said, Fowler paid $2.2 million in cash for 400,000 square feet of vacant land in Chandler, which turned into a strip mall and the site of Makutu's Island, an indoor playground for children. A year after the purchase, he obtained a $3 million mortgage on the property, according to Maricopa County records checked by the newspaper.

Not far from his strip mall, Fowler also purchased two lots for about $100,000 each. The newspaper said records show that Fowler used those lots as collateral to obtain a $1.175 million mortgage.

The Star Tribune said one of Fowler's smallest business interests -- his 20 percent stake in four "Shammy Man" car washes in the Phoenix area -- could raise eyebrows among other NFL owners, who zealously guard the league's image.

One of Fowler's partners in the car washes, the newspaper said, is Joseph Gagliano. In 1999, the report said, Gagliano served time in federal prison for being involved in a college basketball point-shaving scandal at Arizona State University.

Fowler owns the land under the car wash, the Star Tribune said, and his lawyer, Kevin Warren, told the newspaper the two men have a tenant-landlord relationship.

"I'm not a criminal," Fowler told the Star Tribune. "What (Gagliano) did at Arizona State is not what I do. He's been a good tenant."

Fowler said he plans to sell the land on which the car washes sit because he plans to move to Minnesota and focus on the Vikings.

The Star Tribune also reported that many of the more than three dozen lawsuits in Arizona and Colorado involving Fowler or his companies involved allegations of unpaid bulls. It said many of the claims were for small amounts, typically less than $20,000, though a few were for more than $100,000.

Fowler said he did not consider the number of lawsuits abnormal, given the extent of his ventures.

"We have several companies, and we have thousands of transactions that go through our companies each day," he told the newspaper. "So as the normal course of business, this does happen."

As of Friday, Fowler told the paper, he had only three judgments against him totaling $35,000 and three lawsuits still pending in the courts.

But the Star Tribune quoted one legal expert as saying the number of nonpayment claims could cause the NFL to question Fowler's reliability.

"For a company with several hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues, it is surprising to see this many nonpayment claims," said Todd Wind, a partner in the litigation department at the Minneapolis law firm Fredrikson & Byron. "After all, they need people to do business with them."

[lawdog]

In my opinion, and what I always tell my clients is that its not nearly so important to think about/worry about if you will get sued, because there is no sure-fire way to prevent a lawsuit. What is more important is that you are in the right and win those lawsuits.

So what I would like to know is not how many times Fowler has been sued, but how many times he has lost or had judgments against him or even how many of those claims he paid what they were claiming he owed.

There are lots of time parties in complicated transactions dispute some of the numbers and if one side is particularly fiesty or litigious its not unheard of for that to get to court. It isn't NECESSARILY an indictment of the guy that he's gotten sued. There just isn't enough info there to make any conclusions in my opinion.

[Ole1855]

lawdog, it's true that large companies are fighting lawsuits all the time, some legitimate and some frivolous. The problem is most companies are sued for things like product liability, poor workmanship, poor design etc... Fowler's lawsuits, from what I read, are for failure to pay bills. One example stands out since it's semi-local, the cheeses processing plant in WI. Fowler ordered $200k of cheese, man that's alot of cheese, and after it was delivered and he paid by check, he stopped payment on the check. Doesn't that sound a little suspicious??? It would be interesting to see what all of the lawsuits were for, what the judgements were and did he pay them if he lost.

Ole

Ole

[Chad711]

What a turn of events. The entire Fowler fiasco. Then Fowler says he will not trade Moss, like yesterday. Today Moss is gone (pending). Fowler is off to a horrible start.

Im hoping that the NFL doesnt approve the sale now, Im also hoping the Moss deal doesnt go through, they didnt get anywhere NEAR what he is worth.

This is horrible for us fans...

Mike Tice is the LEAST of our problems right now , who woulda thought that?

[Guest]

I will continue to think that in the end the Vikings will be owned by RED until the deal with Taylor can be made,no Fowler.

[floating minnow]

I can sure understand why people would be skeptical of Mr.Fowler.What I can't understand is why many of the same people have no problem whith Mr.Taylor,who is a known liar and cheater within his sport,owning the team.He's the reason the team has no good young players and no future to look forward to.Can anyone explain?

[Guest]

not saying Taylor is a great guy, just believe he will end up owning the team.

[pikehunter]

Floating,

To answer your question, I think most people in the state are willing to look past Taylor's mistake with the Joe Smith contract because without him, there would be no Minnesota Timberwolves. That team was already packing up the moving truck.

Also, I agree, it's PARTLY his fault that there's a lack of young talent on this team, but two things should be remembered.

1) We haven't done that well in the draft when we did have a Round 1 pick. (Ebi??) If anything, his scouting/development staff should take a bunch of heat for that.

2)From everything I heard, every team in the NBA does stuff like what Taylor did ... Taylor just got caught.