Joe Flacco and Anders Lee among new investors in Irish soccer team
Anders Lee of the Islanders celebrates a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during an NHL game at Rexall Place on March 6, 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Credit: Getty Images / Derek Leung
DUBLIN — Veteran NFL quarterback Joe Flacco's new team is St Patrick's Athletic — as an investor in the Irish soccer club.
The Dublin team announced Tuesday that Flacco, New York Islanders forward Anders Lee and former NFL players Matt Birk and Chad Greenway are part of a group that have become “strategic investors.”
“Excited to be on board!” the 39-year-old Flacco wrote on his Instagram story.
Flacco is a free agent after helping the Cleveland Browns reach the playoffs last season. He was the AP's Comeback Player of the Year.
St Patrick’s did not release financial details. It said the athletes are part of Kenosis Sports Group, a subsidiary of U.S.-based private equity firm Kenosis Capital.
“Joe, Chad, Matt and Anders have had decorated careers in the NFL and NHL and have a keen interest in football,” St Patrick’s Athletic chairman Garrett Kelleher said in a team statement.
St Patrick’s plays in the League of Ireland, the country's top division.
The team said it has been working with Kenosis in arranging its friendly match against Minnesota United of Major League Soccer on March 20.
Birk, a center, was Flacco's teammate on the Baltimore Ravens team that won the Super Bowl after the 2012 season. Birk also played for the Minnesota Vikings alongside Greenway, a linebacker.
