Report: Rose, city sue UCLA for alleged SoFi plan

LOS ANGELES -- The metropolis of Pasadena, California, and the Rose Bowl Operating Company person sued UCLA for allegedly trying to determination its assemblage shot games from 1 of the sport's astir iconic stadiums to the overmuch newer SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood, California, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

According to the Times, the suit accuses UCLA of "profoundly" betraying spot by attempting to relocate its location games from the installation the Bruins person called location for 43 years to the location of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

UCLA's existent lease runs done 2044. But the stadium is 26 miles from campus, and the Bruins (3-5, 3-2 Big Ten) person struggled with attendance successful caller years. This season, UCLA's mean attendance for its 4 location games is astir 35,000.

SoFi Stadium opened successful September 2020, is astir 12 miles from UCLA's field and has a capableness of 70,240.

"This suit arises successful an epoch erstwhile wealth excessively often eclipses meaning and the pursuit of nett threatens to erase the precise traditions that respire beingness into institutions," the suit claims. "Some commitments are excessively cardinal to beryllium traded away."

UCLA has undergone respective large changes implicit the past 2 seasons. It joined USC, Washington and Oregon successful leaving their longtime league home, the Pac-12, for the Big Ten successful 2024.

Earlier this season, the Bruins fired second-year manager DeShaun Foster and replaced him with interim manager Tim Skipper. They've besides changed violative and antiaircraft coordinators this season.

The Times reported UCLA's extracurricular counsel, David L. Scrader, sent a missive to Pasadena lawyer Nima Mohebbi successful March, saying the school's efforts to behaviour "preliminary discussions" astir relocating games did not represent a "material breach" of its contract.

But Pasadena officials and stadium representatives assertion a imaginable determination could outgo Pasadena and its residents much than $1 cardinal successful damages. City officials said successful the suit that taxpayers person funded much than $150 cardinal successful renovations with an further $130 cardinal successful bonds that were precocious refinanced for further upgrades.

The Rose Bowl, a designated National Historic Landmark, is champion known for hosting the "grandaddy" of assemblage football's vessel games since 1922 and has a seating capableness of astir 89,000. The Bruins person called the Rose Bowl location since leaving the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum successful 1982.