Some Texas A&M fans aren't happy they're losing their football seat locations because of the renovations to Kyle Field.
Three former A&M students who have been long-time season ticket-holders at Kyle Field are suing A&M's 12th Man Foundation, alleging that the university has gone back on endowment agreements from the 1970s and 80s during its move to renovate the stadium.
Because of the $450 million project, the university said some ticket-holders would have to be reseated. The suit involving the three former students was filed Wednesday and, according to the Houston Chronicle, isn't the first lawsuit about ticket locations being moved.
Plaintiffs in the case are Sammy York of Kilgore, a 1974 A&M graduate who made a $20,000 endowment agreement with the foundation in 1983; Gregory Hayes of Mount Pleasant, a 1974 A&M graduate whose $30,000 endowment agreement with the foundation was signed in 1980; and Henry Holubec of Houston, a former member of the foundation’s executive committee who reached a $30,000 endowment agreement with the foundation in 1985.
The lawsuit asks for a temporary restraining order and an injunction to prevent the seats held by the plaintiffs from being available for selection by other fans. It was filed in federal court.
Warren Moore filed a lawsuit against the foundation in Tarrant County (Texas) court last week as well. Moore, who according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, donated $60,000 to the program in 1985 and said his family was promised his seats for life.
The renovations to Kyle Field were announced in 2013, after Johnny Manziel's Heisman Trophy-winning season. Capacity at the stadium is being increased by 20,000 and more higher-priced seating options are being added. Here's the explanation for reseating from the Kyle Field renovations website:
The scope of this project is massive and will result in a complete reseating of Kyle Field for the 2015 season. This is necessary to generate the funding for the project, and to ensure that we provide fair and equitable access to all seating opportunities for current members as well as individuals seeking to support the program and acquire seats for the first time
According to Moore's lawsuit, the tickets the family has held are now in the Prime West Legacy Club in the new version of Kyle Field. To keep the seats, they would have to pay $15,000 per seat in the form of a capital campaign gift. The family would also have to pay $2,000 a year for the next 15 years for each of it's eight seats. And they wouldn't even be the same seats, they'd just be in the same section.
The attorneys for York, Hayes and Holubec allege the same practices.
“The foundation’s long-term strategy was simple: reclaim and resell, at a higher price, the highest value benefits to a “new generation” of Aggie alumni,” their attorneys told the Chronicle. “In direct violation of the law and the Aggie Code of Honor, ‘An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those that do,’ the foundation and those that ran it deliberately and systematically set out to whittle away at the agreements.”
The renovated Kyle Field is expected to be ready in time for the 2015 season.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
