Wednesday morning turned into a mildly tumultuous day for the York family, as speculation about a sale or restructuring of the San Francisco 49ers had plenty of tongues wagging. It was general columnist speculation, but given the unhappiness among 49ers fans amidst a disappointing season, it is not surprising it grew some legs.
We normally don't hear a lot from the York family, but co-owner John York actually made some rare comments. He was attending an NFL Alumni chapter luncheon, and had a chance to comment about the 49ers disappointing season. San Jose Mercury News reporter Dan Brown was in attendance, and wrote about York's comments.
He did not say anything specifically about Scott Ostler's column, but he did say ownership was passionate about the team, and in this to win football games. Here is a statement he made to those assembled:
"I will say this: Our family is extremely passionate about the 49ers. All of us are disappointed in the season. It's did not go the way we were hoping,'' he said. "You can blame it on whatever, but it doesn't make any difference. ... We are very proud of the past, but we also look to the future. That's what we're going to need to do."
The York family has been given a lot of grief over the years, and much of it at times was deserved. The franchise is going through rough times right now, so it will be interesting to see how they come out of this. A sale is certainly not impossible, but I don't see them essentially being bullied into it because fans are unhappy. Declining attendance would certainly be problematic, but I see them attempting to address attendance issues in some form or fashion before they even begin considering a sale of the team. How this all goes down remains to be seen, but it adds one more layer to a growing drama.