Chris Hansen Apologizes for Funding Anti-Arena Drive in Sacramento

A month after losing out on buying the Kings, Seattle businessman Chris Hansen paid $100,000 to block a new arena deal for Sacramento’s basketball team. After being exposed, Hansen apologized on his website: “I made a mistake I regret. When our binding agreement to purchase the Sacramento Kings became a competitive situation and we were faced with both the prospect of seeing our transaction fail and losing our $30 million deposit, I engaged Loeb & Loeb to canvas the various opposition groups to gain an understanding of their efforts and the prospects of their success. During this time I was approached through Loeb by the opposition about making a contribution to the opposition’s efforts as part of a broader group and agreed to make a donation. […] While I’m sure everyone can appreciate how easy it is to get caught up the heat of battle, with the benefit of hindsight, this is clearly a decision I regret. I wish the city of Sacramento and Kings fans the best in their efforts and they have my commitment not to have any involvement in their arena efforts in the future.”