Billionaire Vinod Khosla sparked fan outrage by refusing to rule out a future relocation, later blaming the media for a controversy that has rattled Seattle’s devoted community.
New Seattle Seahawks owner Vinod Khosla admits, ""I know very little about running a team.''
He'll get no argument from me or from suddenly startled Seahawks fans.
Why "suddenly startled''? Because Khosla just granted an interview in which he announced an odd reaction to a question about whether the franchise might ever leave Seattle.
"I will never say 'Never," Khosla told Axios' Dan Primack.
Wait. What?
There isn't a reason in the world for Khosla to make such a ridiculous statement.
Lumen Field was opened in 2002. I know the dumping of "old'' stadiums can happen quickly when greedy NFL owners demand more from taxpayers, but ...
The Seahawks lease isn't up until 2032. This, as of this moment and given the circumstances - new owner, Super Bowl team, rabid and devoted fan base - is a non-issue.
Or, at least, it should be.
The Seahawks owner allowed himself to play with a goofy hypothetical, stating, "Will this team be in Seattle 500 years from now?
"I have no current plans to change anything about the team, including the coach, president, operation or Lumen Field. It all functions well."
Maybe he just should've said that last part, and nothing more.
Khosla's net worth is $51.5 billion which puts him among the wealthiest 300 people in the world; at 71, the Indian-American billionaire and co-founder of Sun Microsystems is surely pretty much accustomed to doing and saying whatever he wants to do or say.
But what a dopey message this is from an otherwise obviously bright man who just spent $9.6 billion to be a part of the NFL.
Khosla attempted to reel in his comments - or at least the criticism of them - in a post on Saturday on X - by writing, “To all @Seahawks fans and @12s, we have no plans to move the team, have never discussed it, haven’t even thought about it. End of story. I’ve said repeatedly we have no plans to change anything.
"Feel sad for the reporters looking for views and clicks who distort my answer out of context and sent an entire city into a spiral for no reason.”
Is he right about some over-reaction? Maybe.
Is he ignorant about the sensitivity regarding franchises moving? (You tell me, if you're old enough to have been a Sonics fan.)
Is he adding a needless insult by poking at the media? Definitely.
And would he like some advice on how to avoid "sending an entire city into a spiral''?
Here it is: Don't say incendiary things that send an entire city into a spiral.
Khosla is a Steelers fan and with his Bay Area ties, often attends 49ers games. He'll change his allegiances quickly now - right? - and going forward, maybe he'll show some wisdom ... and some loyalty ... to The 12th Man.
He did offer up a compliment to Seahawks fans in this same interview.
"Three months ago I wasn't even thinking about buying an NFL team," Khosla said. "Now I ended up with a Super Bowl-winning team with one of the most amazing fan bases.
"But I know very little about running a team. I don't think I'll do anything but learn for a while."
Part of that "learning,'' I would hope, would include making sure not to insult Seahawks fans in his first month in town.
