Coyotes accuse reporter of 'harassment campaign' following article on internal issues

Earlier Tuesday, The Athletic released an article written by Katie Strang that indicated major issues for the Arizona Coyotes organization. The issues reported by Strang included disgruntled employees, financial woes, internal strife and just about everything in between (you can read our breakdown of that article here. Now, the Coyotes have released a statement on the report and the team is pulling no punches, accusing Strang of an 'harassment campaign' against owner Alex Meruelo and also stating the team is exploring its legal options.

"We are very disappointed that The Athletic, for several months, has condoned an harassment campaign against Mr. Meruelo, the Arizona Coyotes, the Meruelo Group and dozens of current employees and former employees," the statement reads.

"We question the potential reliance by The Athletic on disgruntled ex-employees who have proven to be untrustworthy and lacking in candour on confidential non-public information, and on vendors with whom the club secured negotiated settlements to undo years of financial mismanagement under prior ownership and club leadership."

"At a time when teams and leagues across sports are facing an unprecedented economic downtown, we are concerned that The Athletic has chosen to single out Mr. Meruelo and the Arizona Coyotes about their financial operations."

Strang's article contained a quote from one employee calling the operation a "shitshow", while one vendor said it seemed to be the team's plan all along to default on payments and then negotiate a settlement worth much less than the original deal.

"Integrity, honour and professionalism has bee restored to the Coyotes hockey operations, replacing a deceptive and dysfunctional department undeserving of the great fans of Arizona," the team's statement went on.

"Additionally, The Athletic has completely disregarded the commitment Mr. Merulo has made to position the Coyotes as a well-respected community leader, as a recognized benefactor of youth hockey, and as a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion."

"As we will be exploring all of our legal options in response to The Athletic, we will not have any further comments," the statement ends.

It seems Arizona's plan it to put blame for issues squarely on the shoulders of previous owners and management. However, as Strang's article points out, there have been plenty of problems pop up under the current ownership and it's difficult to tell if things are actually getting better. It's worth noting that Strang asked both the Coyotes and the NHL for comment before running the story, but both declined.

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