In the summary of the loan the Penguins received as part of the Paycheck Protection Program, the large number stands out: $ 4,821,785.
That’s how much the franchise’s owner, Lemieux Group LP, received emergency aid from the federal government in early August. The group is, as reported Sunday by the New York Post, the only North American major pro sports team to receive a dime.
The other 122 members of the cohort, depending on whether you count LA Lakers’ attempt to enter the first round of action, all seem to have said, “No, we’re fine.”
Why and how the Penguins ended up on PPP Island alone is a mystery. Could they need the money so badly? Have the red PR flags raised elsewhere been lost or ignored? Did they go up at all? Are they smarter and smarter than the rest of the professional sports ownership caste?
It could be some of those things. Can be anything. But if you …