Dell Loy Hansen won’t just be selling his soccer properties that include three professional teams and various facilities n the greater Salt Lake City area. He will also remove himself form his involvement in other Utah sports ventures.
Hansen will step down from the Utah Sports Commission, said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the organization. Robbins said he thanked Hansen for his service to the commission and his support of soccer in the state.
“Utah’s three professional soccer clubs are an important part of our community,” Robbins said in a statement. “As an organization, we respect and support the individuals, athletes, teams and organizations that stand up against racial injustice in a peaceful manner. In Utah, we strive to cultivate an environment that allows everyone to compete to strive to be their best in fair competition.”
Hansen joined the commission in January 2010, not long after he bought 49% of Real Salt Lake.
Hansen’s intention to leave the board is the most recent event in a saga that started with him criticizing RSL players last week for not playing against LAFC because they wanted to join other sports leagues to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Allegations of racist statements followed, and from that came an investigation by Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League.
MLS and Hansen announced Sunday that he decided to sell the team.
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