Coyotes say they simply forgot to pay $1.9 million after Glendale threatens eviction for unpaid bills

Last night The Athletic's Katie Strang reported that the Arizona Coyotes risk becoming essentially a homeless franchise unless they can buck up $1.3 million in unpaid taxes before December 20th, 2021.

More from TSN's Rick Westhead:

From Strang's column for The Athletic:

On Dec. 3, the Arizona Department of Revenue filed a tax lien notice in Maricopa County against IceArizona Hockey LLC, the company that owns the Coyotes, for more than $1.3 million in unpaid state and city taxes. The City of Glendale, which has been locked in a lengthy dispute with the Coyotes over delinquent bills, has already notified ASM, the Gila River Arena management company, and Coyotes team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez of the cancellation of the Coyotes’ business license.

The City of Glendale is owed approximately $250,000 in unpaid city taxes, according to a letter from City Manager Kevin Phelps to Gutierrez, and the remaining amount is owed to the state. The state tax lien notice, obtained via a public records request, asserts that the Coyotes owe taxes dating back to June 2020.

The Coyotes, according to the notice sent to ASM and to the team, will have until 5 p.m. MST on Dec. 20 to pay the outstanding arena invoices from the 2020-21 season, as well as the outstanding tax bill. If they do not settle up the remaining debt by that time, the City of Glendale has instructed ASM to deny team employees access to the arena and the offices within the arena used as administrative space. Arena vendors would also be locked out.

- Katie Strang

It's important to note that Strang did reach out to the Coyotes and to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for comment before publishing her story, but both the team and the league declined to comment. The team however has released a through Coyotes insider Craig Morgan, saying essentially that they simply forgot to pay their bills.

From Morgan:

“We have already launched an investigation to determine how this could have happened and initial indications are that it appears to be the result of an unfortunate human error. Regardless, we deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused. 

"We will make sure that by tomorrow morning, the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever. And we will take immediate steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever possibly happen again.”

- Craig Morgan

Really now? You need an investigation into how you're the only franchise that can't pay its bills? Give me a break...

Move this team already...