Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley spoke out Thursday about the current state of the team's ownership.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, O'Malley said Frank McCourt should sell the team, as "the current Dodger ownership has lost all credibility throughout the city."
"In my judgment, it would be best for the franchise and the city if there was new ownership," O'Malley told the paper.
Speaking to ESPNLosAngeles.com on Thursday in response to the Times' article, Steve Sugerman, a spokesman for McCourt, asserted that he has no intention of selling the club.
"Frank has made it abundantly clear that he is the long-term owner of the Dodgers, and he looks forward to the day when his four boys own the team,'' Sugerman said.
McCourt is in the middle of a high-profile divorce from his wife, Jamie. During testimony in the first week of their divorce trial, McCourt said he took out a $60 million loan on land around Dodger Stadium to help pay off mortgages on the couple's expensive homes. Court documents indicated the McCourts have taken out more than $100 million in loans from Dodgers-related businesses to fund their lavish lifestyle. Ownership of the team is at the heart of the trial, which is set to resume Monday.
"The issue is not community property," O'Malley told the Times. "The issue is that, from what we have all learned in the documents filed in the proceeding, we now know how they have used the Dodgers."
The O'Malley family owned the Dodgers for 47 years. The McCourts purchased the Dodgers in 2004 from News Corp. Under their ownership, the Dodgers have been to the playoffs four times, advancing to the NLCS in 2008 and 2009.
O'Malley, who told the Times he had no interest in owning the team again, suggested local investors should take over the Dodgers.
"The Dodgers need to be owned by a small but diverse group of Los Angeles people who understand the culture of the organization and the importance of the Dodgers in this city," he said.
Information from ESPN Los Angeles Dodgers writer Tony Jackson and the Associated Press was used in this report.