A Pittsburgh-area man who owns a piece of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team says majority owner Terrance “Tuffy” Shallenberger Jr. broke his promise to help the team pay off the debt on its overbudget Highmark Stadium, the Wall Street Journal reported today. In court papers, minority owner David Wilke accused Shallenberger of failing to pursue a $4.6 million loan — a promise that he allegedly made when he bought a 51 percent ownership stake in the team last year. Wilke’s lawyers asked a bankruptcy judge yesterday to put an outside financial professional in charge of the bankruptcy cases for the team and its stadium, which are owned by partnerships. An outsider might consider suing Shallenberger for breaking his promise and contributing to the team’s struggles, but that lawsuit likely wouldn’t be brought while he calls the shots in the case, Wilke’s lawyers said in court documents.
