CT's AG Involved In Trying To Keep WNBA's Sun In Connecticut

HARTFORD, CT — Days after a U.S. senator announced a full-court press on the WNBA regarding the future of the Connecticut Sun, Connecticut's top attorney has checked into the game as well.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, on Thursday, said he's demanding that the WNBA send him multiple documents related to the league's attempt to intervene in the sale of the Sun.

In his letter to the WNBA, which Tong unveiled at a press conference Thursday morning, the attorney general cited Connecticut's history of supporting women's basketball, which has been a dominant part of the sports scene since the rise of the University of Connecticut in the 1990s.

“Our state is the epicenter and heart of women’s basketball and a dominant force in the sport,” Tong states in the letter. “There would be no WNBA — and no worldwide growth in the popularity of women’s basketball — without the players, coaches, and dedicated fan base in and from Connecticut.”

UConn won the first of its 12 NCAA women's championships in 1995, with the school earning its last one just last April.

In the mid-1990s, the WNBA formed, with its first season being 1997.

Located in Uncasville and owned by the Mohegan Tribe, the Sun play their home games at the Mohegan Sun Arena, their home since the franchise relocated from Orlando in 2003.

In recent weeks, it has been reported that a Boston-based backer with ties to the Boston Celtics has put in a bid approaching $325 million for the team, with a potential Connecticut suitor also working on a similar bid, one that could feature the state getting in as a minority owner.

If the Sun were to stay in Connecticut, it would play its home games at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford (formerly the XL Center).

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Monday, Sept. 8, accused the WNBA of interfering in the Mohegan Sun's negotiations with potential buyers.

He said the league appears to be strong-arming Sun ownership in mandating a sale to the league for $250 million, with the league then selling the team to a buyer in Cleveland or Houston.

Both Blumenthal and Tong said the WNBA's role could be illegal and a violation of both state and federal law.

“I am troubled by recent reports in the press that the WNBA may be wrongfully blocking a sale of the Connecticut Sun that would keep the team in Connecticut in a manner that may be anticompetitive and may violate state and federal law,” Tong said.

“I am also concerned about press reports that, in lieu of a sale of the team to a Connecticut-based buyer, the WNBA is demanding that the team be sold to the league itself at a price tens of millions of dollars below market value, which could then be sold later to an owner approved to move the team to a city that is part of the league’s plan of expansion.”

Tong said he is asking the WNBA for the following documents:

• A copy of the WNBA operating agreement.

• WNBA’s membership agreement between the Connecticut Sun and the WNBA.

• The WNBA’s operating manual.

• The WNBA’s league rules and regulations.

• Copies of all valuations of the Connecticut Sun, including any appraisal, offer, and/or expression of interest.

“Our dedicated and enthusiastic fan base in Connecticut has strongly supported the Connecticut Sun and the WNBA for over 20 years," wrote Tong to the league.

"To lose this franchise would be devastating to our state’s economy, our community, and our state. Please understand Connecticut will fight hard for our players, coaches, and fans, and we will take all steps necessary to keep the Team in Connecticut where it belongs."

From Sept. 8: 'Blumenthal To WNBA: Back Off On CT Sun's Plans'

From Sept. 5: 'Efforts Grow To Keep WNBA's Sun In Connecticut'

From Aug. 29: 'Hartford Makes Push To Keep WNBA's Sun In Connecticut'