USOC Suspends Steinbrenner

Two days after he relinquished control of the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner accepted an indefinite suspension Wednesday as a vice-president of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

After two hours of intense deliberations Wednesday night, the USOC’s executive committee arrived at the conclusion that Steinbrenner should at least temporarily disassociate himself from the Olympic movement.

Several hours later, after meeting with his fellow officers and several other executive committee members, Steinbrenner agreed to the arrangement and released this statement:

“It is evident to me that the events of the past few weeks involving myself and Major League Baseball have caused an undue amount of focus on my activities within the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“I think it is only right and in the best interests of the Olympic movement that we allow things to settle for a while so that the main focus can return to the governing bodies and the athletes where it belongs.”

USOC President Robert Helmick said the executive committee decided that Steinbrenner should assume an “inactive status” until it is determined whether he can be effective as an officer.

Steinbrenner has been a USOC member since 1985 and one of its three vice- presidents since February, 1988. But since baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent ruled last month that Steinbrenner did not act in the best interests of the sport because of his dealings with alleged gambler Howard Spira, the USOC executive committee has been split over whether he should continue to maintain such a high profile in the Olympic movement.

Because the former majority owner of the Yankees has been considered a positive influence within the USOC, some executive committee members said they were willing to allow him to remain in some capacity. But several others said Wednesday that they preferred that he step aside at least temporarily as an officer.

The executive committee does not have the authority to impeach him. That belongs to the 121-member board of directors, which will meet Oct. 20-21 in Raleigh, N.C. But after Wednesday’s agreement, it is not likely that any further action will be taken at that meeting.

With 18 of 23 members present for the regularly-scheduled meeting at the Broadmoor Hotel, the executive committee met for four hours in the afternoon, broke for a reception honoring International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch and a figure skating exhibition at the Broadmoor World Arena and then reconvened Wednesday night.

Although there was a 20-item agenda, Steinbrenner’s status was the only one discussed as the remainder of business was postponed until today.

The executive committee met during the afternoon in the Crystal Ballroom in the main wing of the luxurious resort hotel. Outside the room was a sign that read “Private Party.”

Curious hotel guests mingled in the lobby with the media and others who were scheduled to meet during the day with the executive committee. At one point, several young autograph seekers arrived to see whether they could get a glimpse of Steinbrenner.

The circus atmosphere was even more prevalent during the evening session, which was moved to another wing of the hotel. All three local television stations conducted the sports segments of their late newscasts from the main lobby.

After arriving in his private jet shortly after noon, Steinbrenner went to his suite in another wing of the hotel and did not emerge during the afternoon. Although he is an executive committee member, he was kept out of the ballroom during the discussion.

A steady parade of executive committee members made the 15-minute walk around the lake to Steinbrenner’s suite in order to give him updates. Others contacted him by telephone.

When one member returned from a brief visit with Steinbrenner, he characterized him as “unhappy.”

But during the break, Steinbrenner told a reporter by telephone that he was satisfied with the meeting’s progress.

“They’ve been making proposals, and I’ve been making proposals,” he said. “I want to do what’s right.”

Two members of the executive committee, who did not want to be identified, said Steinbrenner could have done the right thing by resigning, or at least accepting a compromise, before this meeting.

Helmick has discussed various options with Steinbrenner since the controversial shipbuilder agreed on July 30 to relinquish control of the Yankees. The USOC president held out hope until Tuesday that the issue would be resolved before the meeting. Even on Wednesday, he scheduled a news conference for three hours after the meeting began because he believed he would be able to make a definitive announcement by then.

Several executive committee members said they were embarrassed that the issue detracted from Samaranch’s first visit to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He will attend a ceremony today at the future site of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, then fly to Los Angeles for a reception tonight at the Amateur Athletic Foundation.