Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, who has joined an ownership group seeking to buy the San Diego Padres, owes more than $400,000 in unpaid federal income taxes, according to tax notices. The government liens involve unpaid taxes from 2003, 2007 and 2009. Last year’s notice was for $209,156, with a separate one for $227,093 in 2010. Ownership candidates are vetted by Major League Baseball to determine their financial wherewithal. If Gwynn is not a money partner in the ownership group, his financial background is unlikely to affect the outcome. Gwynn’s tax attorney, Mitch Dubick, said the star is working to pay down the owed taxes. Dubick does not believe Gwynn’s tax issues will have a bearing on his role with the group headed by Thomas Tull, the CEO of Legendary Pictures, a film and media company based in Burbank. Tull is among several prospective owners trying to buy the Padres from John Moores. Moores previously tried to sell the team to a group led by former player agent Jeff Moorad, but that deal fell through in part because of concerns about the group’s financing. Tull “wants Tony to be in his group in a substantial capacity… a role Tony wants,” Gwynn’s agent John Boggs told U-T San Diego last month. “He wants Tony’s counsel. This is not a public relations move.” A spokesman for Tull declined to comment. Requests for comment from Gwynn through Boggs and Dubick were not answered. Boggs referred questions about the tax situation to Dubick, the tax attorney. “It’s being paid off in installments,” Dubick said, although he would not reveal the remaining balance. Gwynn works as the baseball coach at San Diego State. His contract runs through 2014 at a salary of about $115,000. He also earns outside income, reporting to SDSU that he receives $40,000 for speaking appearances, $200,000 from the Padres, $60,000 from El Cajon Ford and $135,000 for TV appearances on Cox and TBS. Gwynn, 52, played for the Padres from 1982 through 2001 and had 3,141 career hits. His salary was around $2 million to $6 million per year in the final decade of his career. He was known as Mr. Padre and a 9½-foot, 1,200-pound statue of him adorns Petco Park. Link
This is complete garbage. Why can't these millionaires manage their money? He seems like such an intelligent, well spoken guy. WTF??
Because like so many athletes they earn it and burn it without thinking about the future they play in a short window and don't see beyond that.
I can't find it on the internet, but weren't Gwynn and his agent John Boggs amongst others a victim of a scam in the late 90's?? If so, this may account for the tax lein if the scam involved investments in "so-called" tax breaks...
From what I understand, Gwynn is not part of the money side of the new ownership group and that he will be brought into the front office for some sort of consultant position. If so, this is a non-issue concerning the sale.
