Splash Players Told They’ll Be Paid

Gary Sparks, the deposed principal owner of the Splash, met with his former players after Friday’s practice and not only told his version of what transpired leading to the Continental Indoor Soccer League’s seizure of the team but also made assurances he would do his best to see they were paid money due them.

Until Friday’s meeting, Splash players considered boycotting the first-round playoff series against Sacramento that begins Monday, citing it as the only leverage they had.

Seven of the Splash’s 20-man roster are affected by Sparks’ financial difficulties, but players decided to unite in their approach.

“We have to say some things to get some action,” said Thor Lee, who is owed, he says, “a significant amount” by Sparks. “We want to see effort. We don’t want to hear we’re not going to get paid, now go out and have a good game.”

On Monday, the league seized the franchise rights from Sparks, who is chairman and chief executive officer of Anaheim Splash, Inc., which purchased the Splash in April, 1996, from Arizona businessman Bill Williams.

According to league officials, Sparks failed to pay several quarterly league assessment fees that pay for, among other things, player salaries, workman’s compensation and disability. An annual team salary is about $200,000.

Money that is currently owed players comes from a league-approved $70,000 discretionary fund that is optional for each team, allowing payment to players for contract “addenda”--such as personal appearances--that are above and beyond regular monthly salaries.

Four Splash players are currently owed money, with others due money in coming weeks.

Sparks put the current figure at about $4,000 owed to players, excluding player/coach Dale Ervine.

“Based on what the players said to me, it’s a significant amount of money due players, immediate team staff and coaches--in excess of $4,000,” said Ervine, who later intimated the total is greater than $10,000.

Additionally, Inessa Weintraub of Coast Travel in San Diego said Sparks still owes her $3,600 for team travel expenses to Portland and Seattle in late August. She said Thursday that an initial check for $5,670 had bounced twice.

CISL Commissioner Ron Weinstein said even $10,000 was “an insignificant portion” of the debt the Splash ownership group owes the league.

“I’m not going to say it’s accurate that we’re going to assume the discretionary obligation,” CISL legal counsel Dan Grigsby said, “but the league is going to make sure the players are not going to get hurt in this.”

In addition to players, including Ervine, Sparks is behind on payroll to assistant coach Mike Fox, the team’s trainer, equipment manager and front-office employees. Technically, all have been unemployed since the league seized team operations. Front-office staff working in the club’s Newport Beach office on Friday have continued doing so on a volunteer basis.

“We’re hopeful that what he’s telling us we can believe and we can trust,” Ervine said of Sparks. “The players have continued to perform. All they want in return is [a like commitment]; they don’t want a penny more. Hopefully, with today’s assurances, that will happen sooner rather than later.”

Said Weinstein: “I hope he fulfills his debt to anyone he has debt to . . . players, the league and anybody else out there.”

Though the Splash will not have a first-round playoff game at home next week, home dates at the Pond are available for the semifinals and championship rounds.

Weinstein said that while there were conflicts involving Pond availability for a first-round playoff date, the team’s financial status and the costs incurred with hosting a game were the final straws in determining that both first-round games are played in Sacramento.