Ohio Attorney General Threatens Columbus Crew Owners With Lawsuit

COLUMBUS, OH — Two months ago, the owners of the Columbus Crew professional soccer team announced they were considering relocating the team. In just about 60 days, the gulf between the city of Columbus and the Crew has widened so much that Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is now suggesting he could sue the team and its owners, should the relocation take place.

The Crew's owners, Precourt Sports Ventures, first announced it was considering moving the team on Oct. 17. Precourt CEO Anthony Precourt said at the time that "the current course is not sustainable." He went on to say he was considering moving the Crew to Austin, Texas.

Predictably, Ohioans and their representatives reacted negatively to the announcement. Representative Mike Duffey, a Republican from Worthington, asked DeWine to make use of a 1996 law that says no owner of an Ohio sports team, that uses tax-supported facilities, can move a team without giving six months advance notice to city officials, or without giving the opportunity to certain residents to purchase the team and keep it where it is.

Duffey said the state paid $5 million to help upgrade parking around the Crew's MAPFRE Stadium, NBC 4 reports.

DeWine, on Thursday afternoon, announced that he would make use of the legislation if Precourt does intend to relocate the team.

“The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has reviewed the law passed after the Browns’ move. We believe the evidence will show that this law would apply to the Columbus Crew and Mapfre Stadium," DeWine said in a statement.

He went on to say that if ownership of the Crew initiates relocation procedures, without first complying with Ohio law, he is "prepared to take the necessary legal action under this law to protect the interests of the State of Ohio and the central Ohio communities which have all invested to make the Columbus Crew a proud part of our Ohio sports tradition and help Mapfre Stadium earn its reputation as ‘Fortress Columbus.’”

For his part, Precourt said at a press conference on Oct. 17 that attendance has been subpar for the Crew, and the team has had troubles attracting corporate sponsorship. Precourt has also suggested he wants a new stadium for the soccer team, but denied wanting any public funding for such a venture.

In what certainly is an ominous sign for Columbus soccer fans, Precourt Sports Ventures unveiled its plans for a potential new stadium in Austin, saying it was a "virtually perfect location," reports KXAN in Austin. Couple that with Precourt repeatedly saying he wants to have "confidence in the market" that his team is located in, and noting that Austin is the largest U.S. metro area without an MLS team, and things look bleak for retaining the Crew.

Precourt already offered refunds to season ticket holders that purchased packages prior to the Oct. 17 announcement. However, season ticket holders only had until Nov. 3 to acquire their refund.

AP Photo/Jay LaPrete