Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Viola won’t serve as Army secretary
Team owner cites business interests
Panthers owner Vincent Viola cited difficulties distancing himself from his business ties as his reason for withdrawing from consideration for secretary of the Army.
Viola, the billionaire founder of trading firm Virtu Financial Inc., had been nominated for that post by President Donald Trump in December and was awaiting Senate confirmation.
“Mr. Viola has informed President Trump that he will be unable to accept his nomination to serve as secretary of the Army as the challenges of separating Mr. Viola from the organizations that he has built over the last 35 years have proven insurmountable,” a representative for Viola said in a statement Friday night.
“I am deeply honored to have been considered for this post, and appreciate the confidence President Trump showed in me,” Viola said in the statement. “I offer my continued support for President Trump and his administration, and look forward to redoubling my efforts to support the Army and its veterans as a private citizen.”
Panthers President/CEO Matthew Caldwell confirmed Viola’s withdrawal but declined further comment.
Locally, in addition to the Panthers, Viola also has a majority interest in Eastern Airlines, which is based in Miami.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, to whom Viola would have reported in the post, was disappointed but understood and respected Viola’s decision, the Pentagon said in a statement.
When Viola, 61, bought the Panthers more than three years ago for approximately $250 million, he vowed to lead the struggling franchise to a Stanley Cup championship.
Trump nominated Viola, a U.S. Military Academy graduate, on Dec. 19. Secretary of the Army is not a Cabinet-level position but, like Cabinet secretaries, requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Viola said at the time he was ready to give the reins of the Panthers to Doug Cifu, minority owner and his longtime business partner at Virtu, a company that conducts millions of trades per day on high-speed computing systems.
“It is an honor to be nominated to serve our country as President-elect Trump’s secretary of the Army,” Viola said in a statement at the time. “A primary focus of my leadership will be ensuring that America’s soldiers have the ways and means to fight and win across the full spectrum of conflict.”
Last month, the New York Times uncovered a police report saying that Viola was accused of punching a concessions worker in August at a high-end racehorse auction in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., .
No charges were filed, and Trump’s transition team at the time told the Sun Sentinel that they didn’t expect the incident — which was said to involve Viola defending his wife — to have a bearing on his Senate confirmation.
“Mr. Viola will always stand up and defend his wife, and in this case there was a simple disagreement with the matter being dropped and no charges were filed,” said David White, a spokesman for Trump’s transition team. “Mr. Viola notified the transition team of the disagreement early on in the process, and we consider this matter closed.”
Viola, whom Forbes estimates to be worth about $1.8 billion, has his primary residence in New York, though his family also has a home in Miami.
He was born to Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, N.Y., and his father served in the Army during World War II.
A veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, Viola has repeatedly said his time in the military has shaped all facets of his civilian life.
Viola founded and funded the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
He has also tried to incorporate military values into the operation of the Panthers, appointing fellow West Point alumni — including Caldwell and co-assistant general manager Eric Joyce, who are both Army veterans and served in Iraq — to high positions throughout the organization.
The Panthers have also paid homage to the armed forces in several ways. They made preseason trips to West Point two of the past three years and incorporated nods to the military into their uniform redesign this past offseason.
As far as his goal to win a Stanley Cup, the Panthers took a big step last season, winning the Atlantic Division and setting franchise records with 47 wins and 103 points.
Injuries have hurt the Panthers this season, but they’re getting healthy. Including their victory Friday night, they have won three in a row for the first time this season and are only 2 points out of a playoff berth with 30 games remaining.
The Panthers expressed excitement and pride at the time of Viola’s nomination in December.
“I’m not surprised, considering who Vinnie is and the time he spent in the Army,” team captain Derek MacKenzie said. “I don’t think they could’ve found a better guy, and I’m certainly proud of him.”