Pat Johnson : “Oregon Blackbears Arena Football Team Restarted Season”

Following the recent announcement that the inaugural season of the Salem-based arena football team, Oregon Blackbears, was canceled, the team has now revealed that they have restarted their season. The Blackbears will be facing off against the Washington Wolfpack at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington, this coming Saturday.

Team president, Pat Johnson, shared that a local owner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, is currently in the process of acquiring the rights to the team. Johnson expressed confidence that the deal will be finalized before the upcoming game on Saturday.

“We have the new ownership in place, along with the old minority group, and we are now able to move forward,” stated Johnson, who assumed the role of team president on the day of the team’s preseason match.

The Blackbears officially confirmed their return to operations with a press release issued on Friday. The Arena Football League has reinstated the Blackbears’ game against Washington on Saturday after removing the team from the schedule earlier.

This marks the first year for both the Blackbears and the restarted Arena Football League. The league was revived through a licensing agreement with Lee Hutton III, Travelle Gaines, and the G6 Sports Investment Group, who acquired the league’s rights following bankruptcy.

In a contract dated February, Gaines was listed as the CEO of the team in an agreement with the Oregon State Fairgrounds. The only other individual associated with the team was Justin Butler, who holds an address in Los Angeles.

Earlier in the week, acting league commissioner Jeff Fisher had identified the Blackbears as one of four teams lacking ownership. The league subsequently announced a reduction to 10 teams, omitting the Blackbears from the initial list.

The Blackbears participated in three preseason games at The Pavilion at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, achieving victories on April 27 and May 4. Originally scheduled to host a game on May 11, the venue was changed to a road game against Washington, which was later canceled.

Records obtained from the fairgrounds indicate that the team still owes $5,600 in rent for the canceled game. Johnson mentioned that the resolution of this debt would be left to the new ownership group.

While the remaining schedule for the Blackbears is yet to be finalized, the team still has upcoming home games scheduled at The Pavilion on June 11 and June 18. Johnson confirmed that the team has been actively training following the league’s recent developments.

Reflecting on the process of securing new ownership, Johnson expressed his gratitude for the local partner who stepped in to take control of the team, emphasizing the positive impact of this transition.

Bill Poehler covers news from Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. You can reach him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com