Ottawa’s bid to return to the CFL fold, took a bit of a detour on Tuesday, as Golden Gate Capital pulled out of the running for a CFL franchise in the nations capital.
Considered by many as the front runner for the bid, Golden Gate which had lined up Ottawa 67’s owner Jeff Hunt as their local point guy, had to pull their bid when one of their main investors become suddenly ill, reportedly with cancer.
The dynamic of the Ottawa bit now changes, with two current applicants still in the running and rumours of yet another group preparing to join in on the chase.
For Ottawa residents it’s just another twit in the seemingly haunted road that football in Ottawa must take. Many had hoped that Hunt and his fellow participants would be the lucky bidder, allowing Hunt to bring some local business acumen to a CFL team in Ottawa, something that had been missing in far too many owners over the years.
The loss of the Golden Gate group is considered a setback for the cause of football in the capital, so highly thought of was their bid by the locals. They now must turn their attention to the two others in the process, the ever colourful Frank D’Angelo and an American group fronted by Bill Palmer, father of former NFL visitor and current Alouette Jesse.
Neither of which at the moment is finding as much support as the Golden Gate bid had found in Ottawa. Having been burned by out of town investors in the past, the local tie in of Hunt to the Toronto based Golden Capital Bid seemed like the best of all worlds.
As for Hunt, left at the altar so to speak, he having invested quite a bit of energy into the project, is hoping to somehow stay involved in the process. A wise investor into the Ottawa market would take advantage of what he has to offer, it could very well be the difference between a success or yet another disappointing and potentially fatal failure.
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