Report: BC Lions likely to be sold before end of season

If you want to buy the BC Lions, you’d better act fast.

Vancouver’s pro football team, which was officially announced as up for sale in March, needs a new owner and it appears it may find one soon.

“David Braley has narrowed his list of potential buyers to ‘a few’ groups,” reports TSN’s Farhan Lalji. “Mainly local, one not local. In the same price ballpark.”

…I'm told Braley expects to have a deal in place for #BCLions within a couple of months, that would close at end of season. @CFLonTSN 2/2

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) July 13, 2017

Current owner David Braley, now 76 years old, was in hospital for over three months last year. While he said he was feeling much better earlier this year, he recognizes that it’s time to sell.

“It has to be sold,” Braley said in March. “I don’t want to be sitting here at 95, shaking, owning the franchise.”

The Hamilton native saved the franchise 20 years ago, serving as a caretaker ever since.

“I will make sure that the franchise is transferred to somebody to look after it in the way that I would,” Braley said. For that reason, Braley might not simply sell to the highest bidder.

BC will be hard pressed to get a better owner than Braley. He pumped money into the team when nobody else wanted to own the franchise, despite the fact that he lived on the other side of the country. Braley loves the CFL, also finding time to save the Toronto Argos, and has done everything he can to allow the Lions to thrive in Vancouver.

BC has won three Grey Cups under Braley, matching the number of championships won by the team in the 43 years prior to him owning the franchise.

Among the prospective buyers back in November was Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini. No word yet on if Aquilini is still in the running.

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