Following up on Brian Manning and his so-called basketball league, I quote an interesting I955 editorial that reveals some hitherto unknown facts.
The Manning issue Monday, July 9 2007
If the Cabinet is going to give Brian Manning $9M to set up a basketball league, then everything better be above board. This should be a requirement in any case, but it is especially so since Brian is the son of Prime Minister Patrick Manning. And it is even more so since there will probably be legal action taken against the younger Manning over this matter.
That action has been threatened by a Trinidad-born basketball player, Nixon Dyall, who is based in Philadelphia, and who is alleging that the Brian Manning proposal is really his own. The young Manning has denied this, saying that the State-funded Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago did not approve Dyall’s proposal because of its cost, and that his, (Manning) proposal is completely original. Mr Dyall, on the other hand, claims that the SPORTT only told him some changes were needed and then never informed him what those changes were. According to Dyall, when he contacted Brian Manning to pursue the matter, Manning dismissed his inquiries and severed their relationship. Mr Dyall has presented documentation of some of these events, including a resignation letter from Brian Manning as deputy commissioner of the proposed league.
At a press conference two weeks ago, when asked if anyone had been proposed as commissioner, Manning said he “didn’t think” matters had gotten to that stage. In a later statement, Manning also alleged that Dyall wanted $36 million to fund the league, as well as a US$7,000 per month salary. If, however, this was the reason that the Dyall proposal was turned down, then Manning or the SPORTT company need to present documentation showing this to be the case. So far, the only documents presented to the public have come from Mr Dyall. In order to clear up the matter Brian Manning must also demonstrate that his proposal differs substantively from Mr Dyall’s. He can do so in court, but it would be better to do so in public. If, however, he is unwilling to divulge such details, we expect that he would have correspondence that would contradict some of the allegations made by Mr Dyall. If Manning does not have such documentation, however, then not only would this raise questions, but it would also reflect poorly on the professionalism required to run an organisation of any sort. In all these shenanigans, however, it is important not to lose sight of the central issue — the basketball league itself.
Mr Dyall, who has played professionally in the USA and coached NBA players, says that his purpose in setting up the league is to tap players for NBA games and competitions, since the American association intends to make this a world-wide project. Mr Dyall claims to have planned to start a league in Trinidad as the first step in a Caribbean programme. And Brian Manning came into the picture for only two reasons: his interest in basketball and his connection to the Prime Minister. Obviously, it is the latter qualification which was the crucial one. Mr Dyall has the US connections and the organisational experience to make this idea work.
Brian Manning, to our knowledge, may have neither.
The real pity is that, whatever the truth of this matter, the nation’s athletically talented youths are the ones who are going to be deprived.
7/10/2007
