Croce Changes Tune - Jumps From Plane

Pat Croce softened his demand to become chief executive officer of the company that owns the Philadelphia 76ers, saying Friday he still wants to remain with the Sixers if CEO Ed Snider won`t step aside.

Croce said he still expects to work under Snider and had no intention of trying to oust him from Comcast-Spectacor, the company that owns the NBA`s Eastern Conference champions.

"I didn`t ask for Ed`s job. I can`t be Ed Snider," he said. "I do see growth in Comcast-Spectacor, but I just don`t want to be pigeonholed into the same position."

Croce had declared a day earlier that after five years as president of the Philadelphia 76ers, "I want to run the company, be the CEO. I need more, give me more to do. I want more to do."

"What I should have done is said no comment," Croce said Friday. "But that`s not what I`ve done for five years."

"If you don`t ask, the answer is always no," he said.

Snider said in a statement Thursday that even for the "incredibly talented" Croce, "assuming my responsibilities as CEO of Comcast-Spectacor is not a viable option at this time."

Snider said he and Brian Roberts, majority owner of Comcast-Spectacor, plan to meet with Croce "to talk about how Pat can remain a vital part of the 76ers and our organization."

"I`m excited and I`m looking forward to the meeting next week," Croce said Friday. A time for the meeting had not been set.

Croce had met Saturday with Snider, who is chairman of the Sixers and Flyers and minority owner of Comcast-Spectacor. In addition to the Sixers, Comcast-Spectacor owns the NHL`s Philadelphia Flyers, the AHL`s Philadelphia Phantoms, the First Union Center and the First Union Spectrum.

"I said that I would like to grow personally as well as grow with the company of Comcast-Spectacor, that I would like more responsibility and that I know I could add significant value to this company," said Croce, who himself owns 2.5 percent of Comcast-Spectacor.

"I believe we can have a major impact in this city, more than we do now," Croce said.

Croce, an amateur stuntman, spoke with reporters Friday before jumping out of an airplane with the Army`s Golden Knights parachute team in an air show at Millville Airport in Millville, N.J.

His contract as president of the Sixers expired last month, and Croce said no offers were pending. He said further meetings have not been scheduled.

Croce hasn`t met with Roberts, majority owner of Comcast-Spectacor, who is busy negotiating a $41 billion offer his company made to AT&T for its broadband division.

Croce, who once worked for the Sixers as a physical therapist and taped ankles for the Flyers, turned a laughingstock basketball team into a championship finalist in five years.

He presided over the draft that brought Allen Iverson to the Sixers in 1996 and persuaded Larry Brown to coach the team a year later. When the Sixers went to the NBA Finals last month, Croce was everywhere.

Croce, who once said he would never leave Philadelphia, hadn`t sounded so sure about that on Thursday. "If I can`t grow here, I`ll grow elsewhere," he said.

There was speculation that Croce was contemplating not returning to the Sixers at all because of controversy surrounding his family.

Croce`s brother Vincent was fired from his job at Independence Blue Cross last month for engaging in "activities that violated his responsibilities and trust."

Another Croce brother, John, resigned as a Sixers trainer in January after allegedly being caught stealing money from Iverson`s pants.

But Croce said he never wanted to leave the team.

"I didn`t want to walk away," he said. "I put too much effort, energy, blood, sweat and tears into the Sixers. I couldn`t walk away."

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News