Coyotes pay $1.4M in back taxes to avoid arena eviction

General view of Gila River Arena. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Coyotes pay $1.4 million in back taxes to avoid Gila River Arena eviction

By Adam Stites | Last updated 12/9/21

The Arizona Coyotes are "current on all bills and tax liabilities," a team spokesperson told The Arizona Republic on Thursday. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, the Coyotes wired $1.4 million to the State of Arizona Department of Revenue on Thursday.

The Coyotes were told by the City of Glendale on Wednesday that the team would be evicted from Gila River Arena by Dec. 20 if it didn't pay past due taxes. In a statement given to The Athletic, the Coyotes called the hefty debt "the result of an unfortunate human error" and promised that the problem would be rectified by Thursday morning.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman brushed off the issue when asked about it later Thursday.

Gary Bettman on #coyotes arena situation: "There's no problem, but we'll deal with that tomorrow."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 9, 2021

The Coyotes are in their final season at Gila River Arena after Glendale opted against extending the team's lease beyond 2022. The uncertainty regarding the team's future has led to rumors of relocation, although the Coyotes have firmly denied reports that the team will be leaving Arizona.

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