Take a knee. Run out the clock. Admit it’s over.
The only thing left for UCLA to do in its runaway disaster of a legal fight with the Rose Bowl is concede defeat and move on.
Commit to staying at your longtime football home through the end of your lease and stop all this madness. Forget those SoFi Stadium dreams.
There’s no point in dragging this out any further as the embarrassing court setbacks — and untold millions in attorney fees — continue to pile up.
Show some integrity and acknowledge that your word is your word.
UCLA’s latest amendment to a stadium lease that runs through the end of the 2043 season was signed in 2014 by Janet Napolitano, the onetime U.S. secretary of Homeland Security who was then president of the University of California system.
Napolitano was also once the Arizona attorney general and governor of that state, meaning that the amendment wasn’t signed by someone who doesn’t fully understand contracts. The contract locked in UCLA for decades to come and did not include an opt-out clause — something the school has refused to recognize as part of its efforts to defect to a newer, shinier stadium closer to campus.
Sure, the Rose Bowl isn’t the jewel that it once was. Its historic splendor can’t mask cramped seating or outdated bathrooms. In a telling sign of how the century-old stadium stacks up against modern venues, it did not host a single game in the recently completed World Cup.
There’s also the not-so-insignificant matter of all that revenue that could go to UCLA via suite sales and other sources being pocketed by the stadium.
But that’s all part of the deal. The Rose Bowl isn’t charging rent and has paid a fortune for stadium renovations and upgrades. That’s why it needed assurances that the Bruins would remain tenants for the long haul.
Showing that it understands UCLA’s financial concerns, the stadium agreed to allow the school to keep revenue generated from the sale of premium seats associated with a new field-level club in one end zone. Sales of those seats ahead of the home opener against San Diego State on Sept. 12 have been brisk, according to school officials.
Let’s also not forget that the Rose Bowl is as much a part of UCLA’s fabric as the eight-clap. The pavilion that houses suites is named for Terry Donahue. A bronze sculpture of the legendary coach stands inside the venue’s gates. The home locker room is named for late Chancellor Charles Young. Tailgating on the surrounding golf course is a cherished fall tradition.
So, what’s the holdup on UCLA saying that it’s staying?
Back in February, the school committed to remaining at the Rose Bowl through the 2026 season. That’s not nearly enough.
Now that Stephen Agostini, the university’s chief financial officer and primary driver of the proposed move to SoFi Stadium, has departed, there’s no tangible reason not to resolve this thing now. While officials from both sides have discussed a resolution behind the scenes, there’s no finish line in sight.
That must change.
Sustaining this court battle just to extract some small, face-saving measure — like a morsel of additional revenue — makes as much sense as leaving in the starting quarterback in the final minutes of a blowout loss. The Rose Bowl has all the leverage given the way things have gone in court and doesn’t have to concede anything except out of goodwill.
A quick recounting of the ledger since the Rose Bowl and City of Pasadena sued UCLA in late October, contending that the school had breached its contract by even contemplating a move to SoFi Stadium:
UCLA tried to get the dispute resolved in arbitration. It lost.
UCLA tried to dismiss the lawsuit on a demurrer and an Anti-SLAPP motion. It lost.
UCLA asked the court to stay the case three times. It lost.
That’s a stack of setbacks that should put any legal team on the hottest of seats, yet UCLA keeps shelling out big bucks to the law firm of Gibson Dunn.
The plaintiffs contend this all started with a phone exchange involving Jeffrey Moorad, the former CEO of the Padres and Diamondbacks who also happens to be a partner in the law firm of Morgan Lewis. Representing himself as a consultant for UCLA, Moorad purportedly told Rose Bowl lawyers that the Bruins were moving on from playing games there, essentially tipping the school’s hand.
The Rose Bowl sued UCLA soon thereafter — and Morgan Lewis, which appeared at an initial court hearing on behalf of the school, disappeared from the proceedings like a linebacker who had been stiff-armed.
Nothing has gone UCLA’s way since this mess started.
While the next court date isn’t until September, there’s no need for UCLA to wait that long to end this insanity. Draft a settlement agreement. Commit to staying.
Your word is your word.
Now live up to it.
