The management of the San Francisco 49ers is playing defense today following word from Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor that the city may take over Levi's Stadium. At issue is the city's claim that, in violation of voter-approved Measure J, taxpayer money may have been used to cover NFL event costs. As the Chronicle reports, the mayoral threat appears to be a way to force stadium officials to turn over budget documents which Gillmor believes could prove her case.

“We have to stop the bleeding of the General Fund money into the stadium,” Gillmor told NBC Bay Area. “It’s against the law. If they don’t cure the breach, we are going to take steps to take back management of the stadium.”

If Gillmor's suspicions are borne out, the 49ers could be on the hook to pay taxpayers back for any inappropriately used funds.

The fact that appropriate stadium budget documents have not been shared with city officials came to light as a result of an independent audit called for by Santa Clara. What's more, auditor Fred Brousseau told NBC Bay Area that taxpayer money may have paid for the stadium's field to be reseeded on several occasions.

“If they are not managing the stadium properly, we will get someone who will,” Gillmor told the channel.

The Mayor's threats have not fallen on deaf ears, and the Niners released a statement yesterday denying any wrongdoing. "The Mayor's accusations that money is going from the City's General Fund into the stadium are false and irresponsible," the statement reads in part. "As the Mayor surely knows, since she voted for the agreements, the stadium does not use general fund money. In fact, funds are flowing into the General Fund from the stadium."

Whether or not Gillmor ever intended to follow through on her threat is unclear, and we may never know either way. As the Chron reports, the Niners agreed to hand over the requested documents and said they would do so today.

Previously: Santa Clara Taxpayers Stuck Paying Some Of Levi's Stadium Operating Costs