Shiner Bock Girl
11-03-2005, 04:59 PM
Jaguars: City is pushing us out
Team raises stakes in dispute over Alltel sign money
By VITO STELLINO, The Times-Union
The Jaguars will be forced to move if the city of Jacksonville keeps denying the NFL team revenue streams at Alltel Stadium, senior vice president Bill Prescott indicated Wednesday.
"That's a fair statement,'' Prescott said after the city notified the Jaguars on Tuesday that the team will not be able to run its electronic signage at the Florida-Georgia game Saturday.
"Based on their actions today, yes [the Jaguars will be forced to move],'' Prescott said. "Based on the actions I've seen over the last week, yes. Obviously, if they're taking revenues away, it'll happen sooner rather than later.''
Prescott also said that if the City Council, as expected, passes an amendment in two weeks that the Gator Bowl and the city will share signage revenue at non-Jaguar events designated by the city, the Jaguars will be forced to go to court.
"They'll leave us with no other choice, but I'll leave that to the attorneys,'' Prescott said.
Prescott also said the Jaguars don't want to move but might be left with no other choice.
"We're not interested in going," he said. "We're interested in making it. In 10 years, this is going to be a great NFL market. We want to bridge the gap, but if the city intends to not allow us to generate additional revenue and to take revenue away that we're using today, we're not going to be able to bridge the gap. The indications we're getting is that they want us to move. If they want us to move, just ask.
"If you're cutting off our revenue source, any reasonable person would sit here and say, 'What are they trying to tell you?''' Prescott added. "They're trying to tell you to move.''
The city has sent the Jaguars three letters in recent days. Besides rejecting the team's claim to signage for the Florida-Georgia game, the city is demanding a payment of $2.7 million in Super Bowl revenues and said the team breached its lease by naming club areas for Royal Crown.
City attorney Ernst Mueller said the team sold the naming rights for the East and West clubs without receiving proper city approval, and Mueller said the city plans to sell naming rights for portions of the stadium, including the clubs.
Prescott said that will mean more lost revenue for the Jaguars.
At a City Council meeting Tuesday night, Jaguars attorney Paul Harden said the city should tell the team if it wants the Jaguars to move but "don't continue to take away revenues that starve us slowly out of the market.''
Prescott said the Jaguars need the revenues to field a competitive team.
The Jaguars also sent a strong message in a story on their Web site Wednesday that concluded, "This town could lose this team. That's a fact.''
Prescott didn't name any possible destinations for the Jaguars, but the league is interested in placing a team in Los Angeles. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times listed the Jaguars as one of five possible candidates if New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson declines to move his team there.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the Times that he looks forward to "attending the kickoff for the 2009 season at the Coliseum.''
The league hasn't decided on a stadium site or put together a stadium plan, but a renovated Los Angeles Coliseum is one of the possibilities.
Prescott said it was "very possible'' the Jaguars would lose money for the third time in the past five years.
"It depends on our ticket sales," he said. "Obviously, losing these revenue sources this year would have a dramatic financial impact to us.''
Prescott said a simple solution for the current dispute is for the city to pay the Jaguars $9.6 million for the signage rights to the four non-Jaguars events -- the Florida-Georgia game, the ACC title game, the Gator Bowl and the monster-truck show. But the city wants to negotiate a so-called "global settlement,'' that the city's consultant, Dean Bonham, said would be worth "tens of millions of dollars'' over the next 26 years to the Jaguars.
Prescott dismissed that by saying, "I have no idea where he came up with those figures.''
Prescott also said that with the Jaguars 31st in ticket revenue this year and expected to fall to 32nd -- last in the NFL -- next year after the Arizona Cardinals move into a new stadium, the team probably will be forced to raise ticket prices. Their current prices are lower than they were in 1995, their first season.
Although the Jaguars have sold their 50,500 non-premium seats to avert television blackouts for their first three regular-season home games, Prescott said they have about 3,000 unsold premium seats unsold -- a loss of $6 million in revenue.
Prescott said NFL teams averaged 10 to 15 percent hikes in ticket prices.
"I don't anticipate anything that dramatic, but obviously with inflation, you've got to keep raising your prices to keep ahead financially,'' he said.
Prescott said the Jaguars last raised ticket prices in 2000 and has since decreased them in an effort to fill Alltel Stadium. They also covered up almost 10,000 seats to make it easier to avert TV blackouts.
Bonham and Adam Hollingsworth, the chief of policy, said they hope negotiations on a global settlement can resume.
"Our objective is to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville for the long term,'' Hollingsworth said.
Prescott said Bonham told a "City Council person'' that he has a client who would pay $1 billion for the franchise and move it to Los Angeles.
Bonham said that comment was made months ago and that the $1 billion would include the cost of a new stadium. He also said a number of people are interested in moving a team to Los Angeles.
Bonham said there isn't any reason for the Jaguars to move because the city has what he called a "lucrative offer on the table.'' When asked if he took seriously Prescott's comment that the team could be forced to move, Bonham said, "I have great respect for [owner] Wayne [Weaver], Bill and [vice president] Paul Vance. I wouldn't suggest if they say something, they're not serious about it.''
Weaver was out of town Wednesday and not available for comment.
Florida and Georgia officials welcomed the fact that Alltel Stadium will be free of electronic signage for their game.
"We feel all the electronic boards and everything should be used to promote the institutions,'' said Greg McGarity, senior associate athletics director for the University of Florida.
Mike Hill, the associate athletics director for external affairs at Florida, said it prefers a so-called clean stadium but was willing to do whatever the city wants.
Alan Thomas, Georgia's associate athletics director for external operations, said the the school agrees with that stance.
Times-Union writer Mary Kelli Palka contributed to this report.
vito.stellinojacksonville.com, (904) 359-4279
http://jacksonville.com/login.shtml..._20133920.shtml
Team raises stakes in dispute over Alltel sign money
By VITO STELLINO, The Times-Union
The Jaguars will be forced to move if the city of Jacksonville keeps denying the NFL team revenue streams at Alltel Stadium, senior vice president Bill Prescott indicated Wednesday.
"That's a fair statement,'' Prescott said after the city notified the Jaguars on Tuesday that the team will not be able to run its electronic signage at the Florida-Georgia game Saturday.
"Based on their actions today, yes [the Jaguars will be forced to move],'' Prescott said. "Based on the actions I've seen over the last week, yes. Obviously, if they're taking revenues away, it'll happen sooner rather than later.''
Prescott also said that if the City Council, as expected, passes an amendment in two weeks that the Gator Bowl and the city will share signage revenue at non-Jaguar events designated by the city, the Jaguars will be forced to go to court.
"They'll leave us with no other choice, but I'll leave that to the attorneys,'' Prescott said.
Prescott also said the Jaguars don't want to move but might be left with no other choice.
"We're not interested in going," he said. "We're interested in making it. In 10 years, this is going to be a great NFL market. We want to bridge the gap, but if the city intends to not allow us to generate additional revenue and to take revenue away that we're using today, we're not going to be able to bridge the gap. The indications we're getting is that they want us to move. If they want us to move, just ask.
"If you're cutting off our revenue source, any reasonable person would sit here and say, 'What are they trying to tell you?''' Prescott added. "They're trying to tell you to move.''
The city has sent the Jaguars three letters in recent days. Besides rejecting the team's claim to signage for the Florida-Georgia game, the city is demanding a payment of $2.7 million in Super Bowl revenues and said the team breached its lease by naming club areas for Royal Crown.
City attorney Ernst Mueller said the team sold the naming rights for the East and West clubs without receiving proper city approval, and Mueller said the city plans to sell naming rights for portions of the stadium, including the clubs.
Prescott said that will mean more lost revenue for the Jaguars.
At a City Council meeting Tuesday night, Jaguars attorney Paul Harden said the city should tell the team if it wants the Jaguars to move but "don't continue to take away revenues that starve us slowly out of the market.''
Prescott said the Jaguars need the revenues to field a competitive team.
The Jaguars also sent a strong message in a story on their Web site Wednesday that concluded, "This town could lose this team. That's a fact.''
Prescott didn't name any possible destinations for the Jaguars, but the league is interested in placing a team in Los Angeles. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times listed the Jaguars as one of five possible candidates if New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson declines to move his team there.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the Times that he looks forward to "attending the kickoff for the 2009 season at the Coliseum.''
The league hasn't decided on a stadium site or put together a stadium plan, but a renovated Los Angeles Coliseum is one of the possibilities.
Prescott said it was "very possible'' the Jaguars would lose money for the third time in the past five years.
"It depends on our ticket sales," he said. "Obviously, losing these revenue sources this year would have a dramatic financial impact to us.''
Prescott said a simple solution for the current dispute is for the city to pay the Jaguars $9.6 million for the signage rights to the four non-Jaguars events -- the Florida-Georgia game, the ACC title game, the Gator Bowl and the monster-truck show. But the city wants to negotiate a so-called "global settlement,'' that the city's consultant, Dean Bonham, said would be worth "tens of millions of dollars'' over the next 26 years to the Jaguars.
Prescott dismissed that by saying, "I have no idea where he came up with those figures.''
Prescott also said that with the Jaguars 31st in ticket revenue this year and expected to fall to 32nd -- last in the NFL -- next year after the Arizona Cardinals move into a new stadium, the team probably will be forced to raise ticket prices. Their current prices are lower than they were in 1995, their first season.
Although the Jaguars have sold their 50,500 non-premium seats to avert television blackouts for their first three regular-season home games, Prescott said they have about 3,000 unsold premium seats unsold -- a loss of $6 million in revenue.
Prescott said NFL teams averaged 10 to 15 percent hikes in ticket prices.
"I don't anticipate anything that dramatic, but obviously with inflation, you've got to keep raising your prices to keep ahead financially,'' he said.
Prescott said the Jaguars last raised ticket prices in 2000 and has since decreased them in an effort to fill Alltel Stadium. They also covered up almost 10,000 seats to make it easier to avert TV blackouts.
Bonham and Adam Hollingsworth, the chief of policy, said they hope negotiations on a global settlement can resume.
"Our objective is to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville for the long term,'' Hollingsworth said.
Prescott said Bonham told a "City Council person'' that he has a client who would pay $1 billion for the franchise and move it to Los Angeles.
Bonham said that comment was made months ago and that the $1 billion would include the cost of a new stadium. He also said a number of people are interested in moving a team to Los Angeles.
Bonham said there isn't any reason for the Jaguars to move because the city has what he called a "lucrative offer on the table.'' When asked if he took seriously Prescott's comment that the team could be forced to move, Bonham said, "I have great respect for [owner] Wayne [Weaver], Bill and [vice president] Paul Vance. I wouldn't suggest if they say something, they're not serious about it.''
Weaver was out of town Wednesday and not available for comment.
Florida and Georgia officials welcomed the fact that Alltel Stadium will be free of electronic signage for their game.
"We feel all the electronic boards and everything should be used to promote the institutions,'' said Greg McGarity, senior associate athletics director for the University of Florida.
Mike Hill, the associate athletics director for external affairs at Florida, said it prefers a so-called clean stadium but was willing to do whatever the city wants.
Alan Thomas, Georgia's associate athletics director for external operations, said the the school agrees with that stance.
Times-Union writer Mary Kelli Palka contributed to this report.
vito.stellinojacksonville.com, (904) 359-4279
http://jacksonville.com/login.shtml..._20133920.shtml