Legendary outfielder Reggie Jackson led the Oakland Athletics to three straight World Series titles from 1972-1974.
The slugger made an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” on Wednesday and revealed that then-MLB commissioner Bug Selig intervened to prevent Jackson and his ownership group from closing a deal to purchase the Oakland Athletics.
Jackson said despite his group having more than enough funds to buy the team, Selig simply did not want the sale to go through.
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“In writing, I sent a letter to Ken Hoffman, who owned the A’s, that I’m willing to pay $25 million more than any bid that you get. Bud said to me, he said ‘Reggie, stay with me. I’ll guide you through. I’ll get this done for you,'” Jackson said.
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But the situation changed when Jackson learned that one of Selig’s associates bought the team.
“And then all of a sudden it came out that the A’s were sold to a guy by the name of Lew Wolff – Bud Selig’s college buddy. It broke my heart. I went into depression for about six months.”
Stern followed up by asking Jackson if the MLB owners also attempted to nix the deal due to his reputation as a “troublemaker.”
“I absolutely believe that,” Jackson said. “And I absolutely believe that Bud was the guy involved that denied me from getting a team. I had a 100-page lawsuit drawn up, I still have the deck – about 3-4 inches thick. And there’s six inches of text messages and all that kind of stuff that went back and forth. I never filed it.”
“I got scared away by some people in baseball. They said, ‘Reggie, the first thing you have to do is resign from baseball – from the Yankees. And you probably won’t get hired again. And you probably won’t this and you probably won’t that.’ And I didn’t know enough about the legal system, etc. I should have sued. I didn’t. It’s obviously still in my craw.”
Jackson said he does have proof to back up his claim.
“I get a chance to talk about it now. I do have backup for it. I’ve got a letter that is in writing, dating December of 2002 or 2003. I put a group together with BIll Gates, Paul Allen and a guy named John McCaw. I could have bought the National League.”
Following Jackson’s remarks, some baseball fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure about Selig.
Wolff sold his shares to business partner John Fisher in 2016. The team has operated on a relatively small budget, in comparison to MLB teams in larger markets.
As a result, well-known players have often been traded, even if they are in the midst of their prime playing years.
The Athletics are also currently dealing with fan attendance and stadium issues. If the team and the city of Oakland fail to come to an agreement on a new facility, the A’s could leave the city they’ve called home for 55 years.
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