McCourts reach divorce settlement, squabbles may not be over

A divorce settlement was announced between Frank and Jamie McCourt on Friday morning, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. But the settlement doesn't mean that Frank McCourt is out of the woods as far as his battle to remain the Los Angeles Dodgers' owner.

The settlement is contingent upon Major League Baseball's approval of a long-term television contract that has been reached between the Dodgers and Fox. If Commissioner Bud Selig were to reject the agreement, the settlement would be voided and the parties would resume proceedings in divorce court.

You can read a copy of the settlement agreement here. A rejection of the Fox deal means that McCourt's whole ownership situation could be thrown back into turmoil. LA Times reporter Bill Shaikin reported on his Twitter account that Jamie McCourt's attorney expects a decision on the Fox contract by Tuesday.

This settlement now puts Bud Selig in an awkward position. Ever since Major League Baseball began their investigation into the Dodgers' finances, Frank McCourt has said that the league was unfairly looking to force him out of ownership. Up until now, it appeared that Selig was willing to sit by and wait until McCourt hung himself. So far that hasn't happened. Now the only thing standing between McCourt and making payroll at the end of June is whether or not MLB will allow this deal with Fox to go through.

With the framework of a settlement in place between Frank and Jamie McCourt, if the deal is vetoed, it lends much more credence to Frank's complaints. If the deal is allowed and McCourt is able to keep his hold on ownership, the fan revolt at Dodger Stadium may get stronger. The team's money problems have contributed to much of the fan anger. But just as much of it has been fueled by the ongoing embarrassment that the McCourts' behavior and subsequent divorce proceedings have brought to the organization. Either way, someone is going to end up unhappy.