News Article: Athletic "Dysfunction In The Desert" Story

[Tom Polakis]

For anyone who has a subscription, The Athletic has just released a hit piece on the Coyotes' finances, which is sure to be red meat for the Business of Hockey forum.

Dysfunction in the desert: Finger-pointing, fear and financial woes roil the Coyotes organization

Click to read more...

 

[BUX7PHX]

The article is behind a paywall, but it is titled "Dysfunction in the Desert"

As much as people want to likely assume that this is reflective of the person as my avatar, it actually centers a lot around the Meruelo group overall.

Summary:

- Finances bad. Meruelo is hell-bent on cutting costs, but athletics work differently than private business

- A lack of hockey ops knowledge within the ownership, yet they have ownership in those positions

- Sullivan retaining legal counsel (again, I am convinced the entire reason why he was let go was as a salary maneuver to reduce costs)

- Sexual harassment also happened with a new member of Meruelo group since taking over

- Apparently gotten more toxic since Chayka left

<Sigh>

 

[RABBIT]

Can someone give a synopsis?

 

[BUX7PHX]

Can someone give a synopsis?

Looks like Tom beat me to it. I have a synopsis in mine (small) but if a mod could merge it, that would help

 

[RABBIT]

Welp it was fun while it lasted boys. Get your toasters ready!

 

[Sm00chy]

Another hit piece on the Yotes. Not surprised.

I am enjoying watching this team play for the first time in years....i'll focus on that.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Here was my synopsis from earlier:

As much as people want to likely assume that this is reflective of the person as my avatar, it actually centers a lot around the Meruelo group overall.

Summary:

- Finances bad. Meruelo is hell-bent on cutting costs, but athletics work differently than private business. Questions of whether financial reporting is correct or not

- A lack of hockey ops knowledge within the ownership, yet they have ownership in those positions

- Sullivan retaining legal counsel (again, I am convinced the entire reason why he was let go was as a salary maneuver to reduce costs)

- Sexual harassment also happened with a new member of Meruelo group since taking over

- Apparently gotten more toxic since Chayka left, and he would be a bridge to not allow management to get too involved with hockey ops staffers

<Sigh>​

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I don't have a subscription, but from what I gather the TL;DR is that Meruelo is trying to run the Coyotes like a pizza chain, and a law firm is looking into a bunch of potential suit opportunities including one sexual harassment case, wage and benefit withholding, and toxic workplace environment.

As for BoH, I'm done with that place. I spent too many years trying to have good faith discussions there with no success to spend any more of my dwindling days on this rock on the effort.

 

[BUX7PHX]

I don't have a subscription, but from what I gather the TL;DR is that Meruelo is trying to run the Coyotes like a pizza chain, and a law firm is looking into a bunch of potential suit opportunities including one sexual harassment case, wage and benefit withholding, and toxic workplace environment.

It isn't just the wage and benefit withholding, as far as finances go. Talks about investigations into the books and what is being reported on that level.

 

[Alberta Yote]

The good feeling of a rich new owner is certainly fading quickly.

This team is cursed.

 

[RABBIT]

Yes any or all of this stuff is true, I can’t help to think we’re in more danger than ever before when it comes to relocation. I think the NHL probably thought Meruelo was the end of their headaches. If he is causing more, they may finally just give into the angry mob.

 

[Yotes2000]

It's almost like the Coyotes need an ownership group like this to make it work though.. I'm glad they're getting called out in public to change their ways. Can't imagine Doaner would sign up to this thing if he didn't believe in it.

If Doaner bails. I'm out

 

[Tom Polakis]

My favorite part: "His [Meruelo Jr.'s] penchant for scrolling through YouTube videos unrelated to hockey during the workday was well known around the office."

In most jobs, workers would get into trouble with their employers for scrolling through YouTube videos related to hockey.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Oh, and I forgot that the article also touched on the selectuon of Miller.

Apparently, in June, Miller was not even on the Coyotes list of players. Then, somehow, in between that time and the October draft, he made it back on to that list. No one is manning up for that selection, and apparently, the person who is winding up taking the blame is the team's sports psychologist/mental performance individual. The funny thing about it is that she interviewed Miller and had concerns about him.

She was also rarely in scouting meetings, so someone can assess that there are questions about the player, make that known, but then not be in the room during meetings, and then become the scapegoat as to who to blame (and maybe Sullivan is the scapegoat, in this instance, even though it sounds like he was not a part of the selection, either, as he would have been well aware of Miller).

 

[Mosby]

I thought the article was pretty dumb. Not really any new revelations. Not a lot of meat and a lot of whining (a lot from former employees) over petty things. And maybe a little resistance from the old crew on how the new crew (Meruelo and Army) want to run things.

Biggest takeaways are:
1) Alex Mereuelo Jr. is too involved in hockey ops (who didn't see that coming)
2) Sullivan got canned for breaking Armstrong's "circle of trust"


Edit: One other thing is Army wants absolutely no leaks from hockey ops. Even made staff sign a document saying they wouldn’t leak.

 

[Mosby]

Someone bitched about not being allowed to expense pizza while in the bubble.

Other teams were more focused on winning games.

 

[Prarievarg]

Some alarming stuff in there, but article seems overly hostile imo. Like it's biased.

 

[AZviaNJ]

So John Chayka got a job at The Athletic

 

[Jakey53]

Yes any or all of this stuff is true, I can’t help to think we’re in more danger than ever before when it comes to relocation. I think the NHL probably thought Meruelo was the end of their headaches. If he is causing more, they may finally just give into the angry mob.

For christ sake guys, give it a rest.

 

[Mosby]

In an email distributed shortly after Armstrong took over as GM, hockey operations employees were warned that “unauthorized distribution of any club information will not be permitted and is grounds for disciplinary action, up to immediate termination.” In that email, which was obtained by The Athletic, employees were asked to sign an acknowledgment form consenting to these terms. (“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of something like that,” said one longtime executive with over 30 years of NHL experience.)
In November, agitated that organizational information had been obtained by The Athletic, Armstrong contacted this reporter, offering a theory that his daily schedule and other files had been stolen from his computer. He warned that the person who he surmised was responsible would be going to jail. After delivering a lecture on journalism ethics, Armstrong asked this reporter what she thought would happen if he were to tell general managers around the league how she did her job.

the “how dare you question my journalism ethics” line in particular gets an eye roll

 

[Jamieh]

I read a tweet from an unknown to the Author about how She reacted when Armstrong threatened to black list Her with other GM's. Was that info in the article? I don't subscribe

Edit: might be the Mosby post above

 

[Sm00chy]

I do not have access article, but based on what everyone is posting here there doesnt seem to be too much new information that is alarming to me.

• Asking employees to sign documents to keep information internal... fine by me.
• Someone watching Youtube videos while on the job... yea just imagine what people working from home are doing nowadays. Doesnt bother me.
• I saw some people mentioned the finances for Meruelo are in question. This obviously concerns me, but what is interesting is everything that has actually happened since he took over suggests the opposite. I heard multiple times during COVID that the Yotes we looking to slash payroll like crazy, however there wasnt a firesale of players like I was expecting. The org. also added numerous positions to the scouting department and front office.

I am sure there is some truth to this story because I dont want to believe someone would just make all of this up, but I am not sure this is a crippling story for this franchise. I feel like a good amount of this was already known.

I saw some mention of sexual harrasment... this is big IMO. Any context of that aspect of this story?

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Interesting that the author, she seems to have had a little run-in with BA over how she obtained some information....

 

[Mosby]

I read a tweet from an unknown to the Author about how She reacted when Armstrong threatened to black list Her with other GM's. Was that info in the article? I don't subscribe

Edit: might be the Mosby post above

not that I saw

 

[Prarievarg]

I saw some mention of sexual harrasment... this is big IMO. Any context of that aspect of this story?

"At the party, an employee of the Meruelo Group allegedly made an unwanted sexual advance toward a female Coyotes employee. This incident was widely discussed within the organization; five employees told The Athletic that they had heard about it. (The female employee declined to comment when reached by telephone.) "