Michael Powell of the New York Times came to the Twin Cities recently to write about the Vikings, their New Jersey-based owner Zygi Wilf and the state's role in funding the team's new stadium.

It is not a flattering look.

Among other things, Powell wrote: "The genius of the N.F.L. is that when talk turns to public financing, shame is viewed as a disabling emotion. We obsess on the failings of Roger Goodell, commissioner of the $10 billion nonprofit National Football League. But the men who own the league's franchises are more intriguing, not to mention more powerful. The league makes relatively few demands of these owners, other than requiring that they are terribly wealthy. And it offers them a prime directive: build ever-grander stadiums and make sure that every stream of revenue — suites, seats, concessions, parking — sluices into your coffers. Do this, and we'll help you gang tackle cities and states. We'll even throw in a Super Bowl to boot."

Powell wrote about the state's involvement against the backdrop of the Adrian Peterson situation, the suspension of coach Mike Preifer for homophobic remarks and the Wilf family's real estate partnership in New Jersey, which was the subject of a court ruling (now under appeal) that awarded $84.5 million to the Wilfs' business partners.

He wrote: "The Wilfs' business ethics were excoriated by a New Jersey judge last year, who found that the family had fleeced its longtime business partners in a real estate deal. 'Evil motive,' 'racketeering' and 'robbed their partners' were six of the not-so-nice words the judge lobbed their way' in the ruling.

His column uses the stadium to make the argument that state and local governments are prey for the NFL's wealthy owners.

He quotes former Gov. Arne Carlson, as big as sports fan as anyone who has held that office, as saying: "They're running circles around us like we're rubes. "You have children living outside in parks and tents. We don't have the money to take care of that problem. But we have hundreds of millions of dollars to pour into Zygi Wilf? It's an embarrassment, really."

And former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak explains to Powell why, despite his previous funding to public financing of stadiums and his belief that the economics of public stadium are flawed, he supported the deal, which also had the blessing of Gov. Mark Dayton.

To read Powell's entire column, go here.

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