The NFL (and Hall of Fame) sent a rather large message as to whether or not it will be settling a lawsuit recently filed over the canceled Hall of Fame game between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.
On Thursday, the Hall of Fame announced changes to the original offer for fans who had purchased tickets to the game. Rather than just the face value of the ticket, now the Hall of Fame is offering those that didn’t take them up on the original offer plenty more.
Not only will fans now receive face value for the ticket, according to Pro Football Talk, they will also receive the following:
“all processing, shipping and handling fees, pre-paid parking purchased through the Hall of Fame, pre-sale reservation fees, and one night of hotel accommodations to eligible fans, subject to appropriate review, approval, and verification.”
And if that wasn’t enough, those affected fans will also have four free admission tickets to the Hall of Fame to be used within the next five years.
The new offer certainly sweetens the pot, and for some this may be all they are looking for, but with costs often topping the $1,000 mark (and some packages costing up to $5,000), it may not be enough. That’s where the choice comes in.
Fans who accept this latest offer can not become members of the class that is seeking to sue the NFL and the Hall of Fame over its negligence leading up to the cancellation of the game.
The leader of the lawsuit, attorney Michael Avenatti, has already responded to the latest offer to fans and hasn’t backed down from his suit at all.
“Once again, the league is trying to get off cheap with their fans,” Avenatti said. “Our offer of $450 per fan stands and is more than reasonable. It is a drop in the bucket for a league that pays Goodell $45 million a year and receives $14 billion in annual revenue. The fans should get what Goodell gets — cash, not commemorative photos, copies of yearbooks, etc.
“If Goodell, the owners and other league execs will take photos, yearbooks, tickets, etc. for the next year in place of cash, so will the fans. We are not holding our breath.”
Avenatti is certainly not afraid to take on the NFL, having already won a lawsuit related to Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, TX over the pay-but-no-seat scandal.
The offer of $450 per fan has a deadline of Aug. 19 to keep from going on to court, but given the latest move by the Hall of Fame and the NFL it is unlikely that any settlement is coming.
