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March 31, 2011
Today's latest Vikings stadium funding trial balloon
Oh, look, there's another Minnesota Vikings stadium funding proposal. This one, reported last night by KSTP-TV and attributed to a "bill has been in the works for nearly three months," includes:
- $250-300 million in state funding, to come from a sports memorabilia tax, a Vikings lottery game, a luxury box sales tax, and a surcharge on player incomes.
- One-third of the total stadium cost, about $300 million, from the Vikings.
- The remainder would come from either counties or cities that would "bid" on getting to be the stadium site in exchange for a 0.5% sales-tax hike to go into stadium construction.
That's not all that much different from prior plans, and as ESPN's Kevin Seifert notes, it could just be an intentionally leaked trial balloon. A real, honest-to-goodness stadium bill is supposedly going to be introduced in the next week or so, but then, we've heard that before.
"and a surcharge on player incomes"
How pray tell are they going to collect this? Is this going to be a special state income tax levied on athletes in the state of Minnesota?
Posted by Brian on March 31, 2011 05:10 PM
Haven't you heard, Brian? The 14th Amendment means whatever a legislator/judge/executive wants it (or, in this case, doesn't want it) to mean!
Posted by Ben Miller on March 31, 2011 07:15 PM
take 50% of players salaries and say no to any tax on the people. lets adrian peterson's words ring true, and with this new 50% tax its more like slavery.... righ AP.... athelets say the funniest things something. google search AP says football like slavery.
Posted by liberalism is a mental disorder on April 1, 2011 12:50 PM
Why the Vikings are the most inept team in professional sports history
** 4 Superbowl losses
** 5 straight losses in NFC Championship games
**Gary Anderson who had just completed the first perfect regular season in NFL history (not missing a single extra point or field goal attempt the entire year), missed a 38-yard attempt with less than 2 minutes remaining in NFC championship game that most likely puts Vikes in Superbowl in 98.
**in 2003 Arizona�s last second touchdown on 4th and 28 against Vikings eliminated Vikings from playoffs. The moment of Arizona�s touchdown was actually the first moment the entire season in which the Vikings hadn�t led their division. The Vikings became the second team in football history to miss the playoffs after getting off to a 6-0 start
**The �Hail Mary� pass Drew Pearson caught against the Vikes in 75 NFC championship to give Dallas the win in the final minute.
**Jim Marshall�s wrong way run
**The Herschel Walker trade in which Vikings gave Dallas three 1st rounders, three 2nd rounders, plus a 3rd and a 6th rounder in addition to 5 players. Walker lasts only 3 seasons in Minnesota
** In 1999 the Vikings select Michigan State Defensive end Dimitrius Underwood with the 29th overall pick. Underwood spent one day in camp and walked out. It was eventually shown Underwood suffered from mental Illness. The ineptness of the Vikings comes into play because his coaches at Michigan State warned NFL scouts that he was not mentally stable enough to play in the NFL.
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**Vikings despite being favored, The Vikings lose 41-0 in NFC championship game in 2000.
**Green Bays Antonio Freeman makes one of the all time great miracle catches in overtime to defeat Vikings in 2000
**2003 In yet another move of ineptness the Vikings are on the board in the first round of the 2003 draft with the 7th overall pick. The Vikings missed the deadline to make the pick. Meanwhile, the two teams immediately behind Minnesota on the board Jacksonville and Carolina rushed their cards to the podium in New York and made their picks before the Vikings.
** With 19 seconds remaining in the 2010 NFC Championship game the Vikings call a timeout on 3rd and 10 at the Saints 33 yard line. They had one timeout remaining, so the smart money was on them running the ball and hoping to gain four to five yards � thus setting up an approximately 45-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. On that next play the Vikings are penalized for 12 men in the huddle. The penalty pushed them out of FG range and most likely cost them a trip to the Superbowl. See below for nail in the coffin on the next play
**2010 Favre`s 4th down 4th quarter interception with seconds remaining vs Saints in NFC championship puts New Orleans in Superbowl.
* Between 1986 and 1990, nine Vikings were arrested for drunken driving, and receiver Buster Rhymes was treated for cocaine dependency.
* In 1988, citing �overwhelming negative response� from the public, the Vikings released convicted sex offender Mossy Cade.
* In 1994, Joey Browner is charged with third-degree rape in Minneapolis. Charges are later dismissed.
* In 1995, running back Keith Henderson pleaded guilty to three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
* 1995, Star Minnesota Vikings quarterback Warren Moon is arrested in Houston and charged with misdemeanor assault after he slapped his wife, choking her �nearly to the point of unconsciousness.� Moon is later acquitted after his wife refuses to testify. A few months previously, Moon had been charged with sexual assault by a Vikings cheerleader in a case that was settled out of court.
* That year, Moon allegedly struck his wife in the head with an open hand and choked her to the point where she almost passed out, according to police in Missouri City, Texas.
She did not press charges and, although the case went to trial anyway, Moon was found not guilty.
* In 1995, the Star Tribune reported that the Vikings paid $150,000 to head off a sexual harassment suit against Vikings assistant coach Richard Solomon, coach Dennis Green�s closest friend on the staff.
* In 1996, James Harris, Minnesota Vikings defensive end, pleads guilty to third-degree assault for beating his wife.
* In 1999, safety Orlando Thomas was disciplined by the NFL after pleading no contest to the misdemeanor charge of simple battery on his wife.
* In 2002, receiver Randy Moss knocked a traffic cop to the ground with his car, then was charged with drug possession. He later reached an out-of-court settlement with the officer.
* In 2002, two women claimed to be sexually assaulted at the team�s Arctic Blast fundraiser.
* In 2004, linebackers E.J. Henderson and Michael Nattiel and tight end Steve Farmer were arrested after officers said they saw the players assaulting a man outside the Tabu nightclub in Minneapolis.
* In 2005, running back Onterrio Smith was suspended by the NFL for a year for violating the league�s substance abuse policy, two months after being caught at an airport with The Original Whizzinator, a kit designed to circumvent drug tests.
* Also in 2005, coach Mike Tice was fined by the NFL for scalping Super Bowl tickets, and defensive tackle Kevin Williams was arrested on charges of domestic abuse.
* Wide receiver Kelly Campbell driving a stolen SUV high with a stolen and weapon, with 16 grams of marijuana
* Daunte Culpepper�s SUV involved in drug arrest
* Former running back Ted Brown was indicted by a Mille Lacs County grand jury in late 2003 on first-and third-degree criminal sexual conduct charges after an incident at a team function on Lake Mille Lacs. He remains free on bail.
Brown is charged in a February 2003 incident during the Vikings� annual Arctic Blast event at Eddy�s Resort. Prosecutors allege that Brown forced sex on an intoxicated woman who was unable to consent.
*Koren Robinson getting a DUI
* Tommy Kramer DUI
* Donald Igwebuike involved in drug trafficking
* Robert Tate threatening to have the mother of his child beaten up by his cousin
* Kenny Mixon not 1, not 2, but 3 DUI�s while with the team
* Former Executive Mike Kelly getting a DUI going to bail out players at the Arctic Blast
* Denny Green Sexual Harassment Allegations
* EJ Henderson DUI * *While every team makes draft blunders I especially like this one. In 2005 the Vikings passed on Aaron Rodgers � twice. Once, to draft wide receiver Troy Williamson at No. 7 and again at No. 18 picking defensive end Erasmus James. Neither lived up to their hype and even more noteworthy both aren�t on the roster
* January 2011 Vikings De Everson Griffin being arrested 2 times within 3 days. He was Drunk in public and then 3 days later was tased by the police after trying to run away after being pulled over for suspicion of felony battery.
* 2010 Vikings trade a 3rd round draft pick to Patriots for WR Randy Moss. Moss is cut 4 games later
*Oh, yeah, that whole sex boat scandal too.
*2011 Former Vikings qb Warren Moon came up with this genius quote regarding Auburn QB Cam Newton. � A lot of the criticism he�s receiving is unfortunate and racially based, Moon told Freeman. � thought we were all past this. I don�t see other quarterbacks in the draft being criticized by the media or fans��
* 2011 Vikings sign Johnny Jolly ??
I`m sure there are things I missed but this is why
I believe the Vikings are the most inept team Professional sports history
YES!!!
LETS GIVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THIS AWESOME FRANCHISE!
LOL
LOS ANGELES VIKINGS 2012
Posted by Purple Pukes on April 1, 2011 02:39 PM