The New York Saints suspended operations today after a potential sale fell through at the last moment.

New York is the second team to go dark this offseason, following the Ottawa Rebel's shutdown in late July.

"The Saints and the NLL have a proud tradition on Long Island, and believe that tradition will continue in the future," NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said. "The team’s owners and the league were hopeful to complete the sale in time for the upcoming season."

"Unfortunately, a deal could not be reached in time," Jennings added. "The search will continue, and we hope to have the team back in the league for the [2005] season. We ask the loyal and long-time Saints fans to please be patient, as we work to ensure a successful, long term future for the team."

The Saints will not participate in the upcoming 2004 NLL season, but are aiming for a return the following year. If that happens, New York would be the first team in league history to return from a suspension of operations.

As for the sale, it's not entirely clear what happened. However, Saints co-owner Mike Gongas told Newsday that a contract was signed but that the buyer didn't pay up in time.

"We had a deal in place but the money had not been transferred to our account as of this date," Gongas said.

"We are still diligently working on completing the sale of the team. We missed the deadline imposed by the league and therefore they have no choice to but to move forward with the league schedule."

Saints assistant coach Jim Mulé expressed his diappointment.

Although the league would not confirm it, Newsday has reported that the Saints' remaining players have all been granted unrestricted free agency. Past suspensions of operations have resulted in dispersal drafts.

The Saints' suspension of operations leaves just two of the original four Eagle League franchises participating in the upcoming season. The Philadelphia Wings and Colorado Mammoth (formerly Baltimore Thunder, Pittsburgh CrosseFire and Washington Power) are the other 1987 clubs still in existence.

Unlike the Mammoth, which has bounced around the past half decade, and the Wings, who moved into a new arena in the later 1990s, the Saints had been at Nassau Coliseum since 1989, the longest single-arena streak in league history.

The Saints began play at the Coliseum after relocating from East Rutherford, NJ. The New Jersey Saints won the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship in 1988, but the club hasn't been to the finals since 1989 and hasn't won a playoff game in a decade.

The Saints tied with the New Jersey Storm for the league's worst record last season. The Eastern Division rivals each finished 3-13 after tying at 5-11 in 2002.