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TAMPA - Keyshawn Johnson's ouster from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not affect his stake in Profusion, a Tampa restaurant, a company representative said Wednesday.
Johnson put his Harbour Island home up for sale last week and has indicated that he will not remain in the area now that he has been deactivated by the Bucs.
But he will not give up his stake in Profusion, which is owned largely by Hazel and Clarence Mah, according to company spokeswoman Elizabeth Freid.
The Mahs based the Asian fusion restaurant at International Plaza mall on their Montreal-based Profusion, which opened in 1997.
"His ownership is not going to change in any way," said Freid, who estimates Johnson's ownership to be more than 5 percent. "The Mahs handle the day-to-day operations, so there will be no effect on the restaurant. The owners are looking forward to a busy holiday season."
Freid said Johnson normally visits the restaurant a few times a month when he's in town, and she expects him to continue to drop in when he's in Tampa.
Johnson's spokesman Jerome Stanley did not return calls on Wednesday.
The restaurant was hit with a lawsuit this year that alleged Profusion owed $146,000 in back rent.
The Mahs said the rent had not been paid because the building's owner, Michigan-based Taubman Centers, had been overcharging them and had failed to meet agreements.