The saga continues, as New York City mayor Bill de Blasio was asked about billionaire Steve Cohen’s bid to buy the Mets again on Thursday.
A report came out last week from USA Today that de Blasio had the power to potentially nix the bid because of the stadium being leased through New York City and the fact that a convicted felon could not be involved in any deal.
In 2013, the Cohen-founded S.A.C. Capital Advisors pleaded guilty to insider trading and paid a $1.8 million fine. The hedge fund also agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and four counts of securities fraud.
However, Cohen is not a convicted felon.
On Wednesday, it was reported by the New York Post that the mayor was seeking to squash the sale of the Mets to Cohen – or at the very least delay it farther into the offseason.
Let’s jump back to Thursday when de Blasio says it’s nothing personal, “Some folks are trying to ascribe it to personal feelings, or one thing or another. It’s not. It’s a legal responsibility that we have to undertake appropriately.”
The mayor also reiterated that the evaluation for the sale will resolve “rather quickly” and “It’s coming close to completion”. It’s been reported by multiple outlets that the Major League Baseball owners will vote on Friday whether or not to approve the bid.
