Huizenga eager to get Dolphins sale done

Huizenga eager to get Dolphins sale done
January 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"Before the presidential election, Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga said he might rush the sale of an additional 45 percent of the team to co-owner Stephen Ross to avoid increased capital gains taxes that might come in a Barack Obama presidency.

Work is being done to complete the sale soon, sources said, perhaps today.

Ross, who paid $550 million last year for 50 percent of the Dolphins, Dolphin Stadium and the surrounding land, is said to be struggling to complete the financing for the purchase. A real estate developer, who according to the Wall Street Journal is among a group of developers seeking government aid in the rocky economy, Ross has been trying to find investors to buy a piece of the team.

But Huizenga, who has vowed to maintain 5 percent of the team, is so eager to complete the deal that he is expected to hold a note on the transaction and allow Ross to owe him part of the balance, according to sources.

Huizenga and Ross could not be reached for comment late Monday.

It is unclear if Ross would be required to make additional payments in the event capital gains taxes do increase. During the campaign, Obama indicated he might try to increase the capital gains tax maximum from 15 percent to 20 percent.

CFL star joins Dolphins

Newly acquired linebacker Cameron Wake said after three visits during the past month he chose the Dolphins over a half-dozen other teams because they offered the "total package."

"It's not just who offers the biggest deal or who has the best record," Wake said via conference call. "From the coaching staff, position opportunity, the organization, everything combined, Miami put themselves above the others."

Wake, the CFL Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons with a combined 39 sacks and eight forced fumbles for the British Columbia Lions, signed a four-year deal worth up to $4.9 million, with $1.1 million the first year.

"He's quick, powerful and explosive," said Richard Hall, coach of the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos, "a great athlete who dominated our league. He can do everything. He has performed at a high level on the next level, even if it wasn't the NFL.

"I'm just glad he is out of our league."

Wake, 26, was undrafted out of Penn State and released by the Giants after a training camp stint before the 2005 season.

"Not being in football, at home on the couch watching people I played with and against, it sets that fire in you," Wake said.

Wake will likely compete with Charlie Anderson for the backup weak-side linebacker spot, and said he looks forward to working with Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter in an effort to bolster the pass rush. ...

The Dolphins also signed safety Ethan Kilmer, who played with Wake at Penn State during the 2004 season and was a seventh-round pick by the Bengals in 2006."
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