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Report: Panthers owner Viola becomes first Trump nominee to withdraw

2015 NHL Draft - Round One

SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 26: Vincent Viola of the Florida Panthers attends the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 26, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola has reportedly withdrawn himself from consideration as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Army, according to Bloomberg. The Miami Herald’s George Richards confirmed the report.

Bloomberg notes that Viola is the first Trump nominee to withdraw from consideration.

Viola wasn’t able to separate himself from his business interests, though it’s unclear if the Panthers were the factor or if it was another facet.

The full extent of Viola’s financial holdings and ownership stakes in other companies would’ve been detailed in ethics and financial disclosure forms to be filed as the nomination process unfolded. Without them, it’s difficult to know what business arrangements tripped him up. This is the first Trump nominee to withdraw from consideration.

Again, it might not be about the Panthers:

It’s nonetheless an interesting development on an odd Friday of off-the-ice hockey stories, from Connecticut flirting with the New York Islanders, the Islanders making something of a non-statement about that and the Arizona Coyotes seemingly facing a setback when it comes to their eternal struggle to find a steady home.