Report: Martin Luther King III seeks share in Mets ownership

[Blue_Tires]

The son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is interested in buying a share of the New York Mets.

Martin Luther King III, who runs the Atlanta-based King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, is part of a group wishing to purchase a share of the club from principal owner Fred Wilpon. The group also includes television executive Larry Meli, ex-Met Ed Kranepool and Donn Clendenon Jr., the son of another ex-Met, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

In a statement released to The Associated Press, King said there had been much discussion about his participation in the acquisition of the Mets. He said it was premature to make those discussions public, but said in the statement that he valued diversity among owners in pro sports.

"I believe in the merit and American value of creating an example, and, if I personally, or as part of a collective, can advance the vision of a more diverse ownership group in professional sports, domestically or internationally, then, like my father, I am prepared to act in that spirit," he said.

Fred Wilpon and son Jeff Wilpon, the Mets chief operating officer, announced Friday their intention to potentially sell 20-25 percent of the team to satisfy any judgment or settlement in a lawsuit brought by the trustee looking to recover money for victims of convicted swindler Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

The group including King III reportedly wants to have at least a 50 percent share of the team, which is a complication, since the Wilpons have stated they only intend to sell a minority share.

"I think in order for it to make sense it would have to be at least a 50-50 arrangement," Meli said.

King said he encouraged Meli because it would increase diversity. But King also said he was not actively putting together a group.

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6073926