Women’s Professional Soccer just took its dispute with magicJack owner Dan Borislow to a whole new level of “public.” On Wednesday, WPS issued a statement in response to Borislow taking his dispute with the league to a Florida court. The statement, which you can read in full here, reads:
“Mr. Borislow is asking a Florida court to bar the League from exercising its right to terminate his franchise at the end of the season for breach of his contractual obligations. No such entitlement exists under League contracts, and Mr. Borislow’s many contractual breaches more than justify any decision by the League to terminate his franchise.”
So who actually knew this dispute had actually gone to a Florida court? I would bet hardly anybody beyond the parties involved, but now this has been brought to the attention of everyone. It certainly came to the attention of Borislow. Below is Borislow’s response. League officials say that his statement that the team would be taken away this week is not true. WPS CEO Anne-Marie Eileraas’ response to Borislow’s statement follows the magicJack owner’s statement.
Here is what he said:
“The management of the league is a lot better at lying than running a professional sports league. If you read my request for injunction, you will see that I signed this under penalty of the law. I am sure they would not do the same. Although this does not contain near all the issues, it gives a good indication of what I have been going through and I suggest you read it.
“It is ironic that the person being quoted for the league is the same person paying players an amount below the poverty line. Further, the comments about the players are an absolute lie. There isn’t one player we know of that signed the grievance and the National team players were shocked to see it after the fact. We cut six players in a short period of time, and I am sure between them and a conspiracy with the league that is where the grievance emanated. My players are the highest paid players with the best benefits. Although they are the highest paid, Abby (Wambach), Hope (Solo), Christie (Rampone) and Megan (Rapinoe) combined do not make what Anne-Marie makes and that is a crying shame.
“The largest lie is similar to what happened during the World Cup, where the National team members got an email before the Brazil game threatening them with not having a job and a place to sleep. I refused to answer this grievance while the women were away at the World Cup, no matter what penalty they would give me. I refused because I did not want them distracted where the league and the Union couldn’t care less. The largest lie is they were not threatening to take the team away at the end of the season like their letter purports; they were going to take away the team this week.
“Lastly, let’s figure out who was right and wrong about what is best. We have sold out every stadium we play in without any advertising. I begged them not to play while the World Cup was going on. I said it’s like me selling a phone service, but only offering incoming calls and not outgoing calls. How many times would you try it? One and done is the answer. The attendance and the product were absolutely terrible during the World Cup. On top of it, the attendance is a huge lie. The paid attendance is probably half of what you see on the site and some teams just outright inflate the attendance. Meanwhile, the league is selling franchises based upon these numbers and I absolutely refuse to be part of that too. It is fraud, just like the way they induced me into the league. So anyway, I told the league you must embrace the WNT and its players, it’s our only hope. I was talking into deaf ears for the most part. I donated my field and hotel rooms to the WNT for three weeks before they went to Germany and did almost exactly what I thought best for the WNT. That is our bread and butter. So all those Borislow this and that and all their lies,who was right? Who wants our team in their stadium? Who got the attendance for their games? Who is showing the best product to the audience?
“So the good news I guess, is that the WPS changed their mind and doesn’t want to screw up US soccer and the beautiful sport during the year after reconsidering how much damage it would do. I begged them for months to not let this happen and told them how stupid they were. Isn’t it further ironic, that the thing I got penalized for was the lack of contact with the media, but when I wanted to tell the truth and talk to the media, they wanted to take our team. They just wanted to keep on getting their paycheck and not come up with a sound business model and take the shortcut and find some other suckers. They should have embraced the WNT, come up with a sound business model and presented it to the USSF to get help. If I was the USSF, seeing this league flounder around like this with these hateful clueless people and ridiculous overhead, (God man, we have only 50 or so games and each one cost us $20,000.00 in league overhead alone). I wouldn’t go near this with a 1,000 foot pole.
“I challenge anybody from the league to get on a lie detector test with me. Who are they to challenge me anyway when they leach off soccer and collect money, when I have in essence donated over $1.5 million to soccer? I love this sport; it is my salvation and solitude. It is everything that is good.
I just wanted to add, I know that Boston, New York, New Jersey and some degree Philadelphia’s heart is in the right place. They have been dragged around by a group of haters and bottom feeders. It is no wonder why so many teams bailed and two of the owners have stayed completely out of this mess.”
This is what Eileraas said in response:
“That is not true. Mr. Borislow and his legal team have been notified in writing that even if there were to be a decision to terminate, the team could continue to operate through the end of the season.”