Ex-A’s manager La Russa cuts ties with animal group
Former Oakland Athletics manager Tony La Russa has severed ties with the Walnut Creek animal rescue group he founded, demanding that his name be scrubbed from the foundation’s website over clashes with its leadership.
La Russa’s attorney sent the Animal Rescue Foundation a cease and desist letter late last week demanding that the group remove all mention of the baseball Hall of Famer from its building and website. The letter also demanded the return of La Russa’s baseball memorabilia on display at the animal shelter’s headquarters.
The split, which La Russa announced in a statement Wednesday, comes after long-standing disagreements between the La Russa family and the foundation’s management that escalated in recent months after what the family called the “mishandled adoption” of a dog named Lovebug.
“The foundation was like an extended family, everyone contributed to this close-knit personal culture. … That is, sadly, no longer the case, which is why we no longer want to be associated with the foundation we created,” La Russa said in the statement.
The foundation’s policies, La Russa added, “work against fulfilling its mission. We have concluded we must completely separate ourselves, our name and our reputation from ARF.”
La Russa, who managed Oakland to the 1989 World Series title, founded the nonprofit animal shelter in 1991 to house a stray cat who wandered onto the field at the Oakland Coliseum during a baseball game. La Russa, 78, retired from managing the Chicago White Sox last year because of health troubles.
ARF’s board of directors voted last week to “officially separate” from the La Russa family “after careful consideration,” Talan Tyminski, a public relations consultant hired by the foundation, said in an email Wednesday, noting that it “takes great pride in the outstanding efforts of our dedicated staff and volunteers, who work tirelessly every day to support our mission.”
The foundation announced the separation on its Twitter account, but did not comment on the nature of the split or refute the family’s characterization of Lovebug’s disappearance.
“We are deeply grateful for the La Russa family’s contributions to ARF’s advancement and extend our warmest wishes for success in their future endeavors,” the foundation wrote.