He still owns the NFL Miami Dolphins, the NHL Florida Panthers and Pro Player Stadium. Huizenga had the team for its first six seasons.
1 and was replaced by John Boles, the Marlins' vice president of player development. Because of uncertainty about the future of the franchise, manager Jim Leyland resigned Oct. Henry's top priority will be to seek public financing for a new stadium. The deal renders moot Huizenga's apparently serious proposal that the operation of the Marlins - under his ownership - be taken over by an 11-member board of directors that would include sports editors, fans and county commissioners. Skeptics, however, question Huizenga's accounting methods.
He claims the Marlins lost $34 million in 1997, when they won the World Series, and lost money again this year while finishing with the National League's worst record since 1969. The sale comes 17 months after Huizenga put the team on the market. The final unresolved issue, Huizenga said, was a minor matter involving television rights fees. "To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time in all of my years of business that someone has attacked my integrity," Henry said. Henry issued a nine-paragraph statement Friday afternoon indicating he was upset b the tone of Huizenga's news conference. But ill will between the two South Florida businessmen left the outcome in doubt until the end.
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