Seneca Nation buys Rochester Knighthawks

By Brian Sharp,

Veronica Volk, Julie Williams

Published August 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM EDT

Three men wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left has short brown hair and a brown beard and is wearing glasses and a white short-sleeved, button-down shirt; a man at center has short brown hair and is wearing a black polo shirt; a man at right has short brown hair and is wearing a light grey button-down shirt with black pants.

1 of 2 — Eli Hackett and Dan Carey with guest host Brian Sharp on "Connections"

Eli Hackett and Dan Carey with guest host Brian Sharp on "Connections" on Wednesday, August 6, 2025

George Yeadon / WXXI News

2 of 2 — seneca 4.jpg

J.C. Seneca, Seneca Nation President, puts on a custom Knighthawks jersey over his traditional ribbon shirt during an announcement that the Seneca Nation has purchased the Knighthawks lacrosse team and is are the new owners of Rochester's major league lacrosse team.

Max Schulte / WXXI News

A man with short brown hair is wearing a light grey button-down shirt, black pants and black shoes and sitting in front of a microphone at a table in a radio talk studio. — Brian Sharp guest hosting "Connections" on Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Seneca Nation is thought to be the first sovereign Native Nation to own a major professional lacrosse team.

This is a game they say the Creator gifted their people, centuries ago, and they started playing here in New York and bordering parts of Canada. The Knighthawks President and GM says that this development will strengthen the connection between the Rochester team and the roots of the sport.

Guest host Brian Sharp and his panel discuss what this means for the team, for the Seneca Nation, and for the sport.

Our guests:

JC Seneca, president of Seneca Nation
Dan Carey, president and general manager of the Knighthawks
Eli Hackett, contributing writer for CITY Magazine and Knighthawks fan