Sale Of Seahawks Not Imminent

Paul Allen’s spokeswoman said a deal to buy the Seattle Seahawks is not imminent, contradicting reports involving the Microsoft co-founder.

“He has not made an offer; he has not even decided to take this to the next level,” spokeswoman Susan Pierson told the Seattle Times Friday. “He is still in the first stages of looking at the team, stadium and all the other details.”

King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer said Friday he believes Allen has the essential information, including Ken Behring’s price range, and could make an offer soon.

Von Reichbauer, who helped bring the two sides together, said he hopes an agreement in principle could be reached by early next week.

“He (Allen) has gotten a sense of the revenue stream of the Seahawks and has put together a team of experts,” said von Reichbauer. “If a deal occurs, you would likely see a 30-day window in which conditions on both sides would be dealt with, including NFL approval of Paul Allen and the level of commitment from county and public sources.”

King County officials and community leaders say they are committed to helping Allen modernize the Kingdome, the 20-year-old facility that Behring said can’t compete with modern, revenue-generating stadiums in the NFL.

Behring publicly says the team is not for sale and that he still is committed to moving the franchise to Anaheim, Calif., if he wins the court case against King County. Sources, however, say he is receptive to an offer, somewhere below $225 million.

Allen’s representative in the talks, former Seattle SuperSonics president Bob Whitsitt, said Allen would only buy the team if it were available soon and offered at a fair price, and if the deal was supported by the county.

He warned against the perception that the billionaire is “just hanging around with a blank check waiting to buy the team at any time for any price.”

Gary Locke, King County executive, said the county is ready to help Allen by improving the Kingdome.

“We’ve stated to both Ken Behring and Paul Allen’s representative that we are willing to make improvements like any responsible landlord,” Locke said. “We’ve indicated to both men that we’re interested in a partnership.”

That partnership would likely involve a number of improvements to the Kingdome and the lease.

Locke said he believed the county’s assurances to NFL owners Wednesday that the Kingdome meets seismic safety codes may help speed a settlement.

“When we met with (NFL commissioner) Paul Tagliabue (Feb. 28), he was very pleased to hear about the Kingdome’s safety, and that’s when he invited us to address the owners,” said Locke.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have received the go-ahead to begin conducting offseason workouts at Rams Park in Anaheim on Monday.

Paul Mercier, superintendent of the Magnolia School District, reached agreement with the St. Louis Rams (formerly the Los Angeles Rams) and the Seahawks on Thursday on a deal for use of the practice and headquarters facility.

Thursday, nine staff members were at the Anaheim facility, including strength coach Dana LeDuc and trainers Jim Whitesel and Todd Sperber. Team weight-training equipment was shipped to Anaheim beginning Feb. 4.

Bears sign ‘Big Cat’

The Chicago Bears signed offensive tackle James “Big Cat” Williams to a fouryear, $9.2 million contract.

Williams joined the Bears as an undrafted free agent and defensive tackle in 1991. He made the move to the offensive line midway through the 1992 season.

Williams became a starter in 1994.