Senior Bowl Leaving Mobile?

"The Mobile Arts and Sports Association, Inc. (MASA) which is a private, not for profit business, owns the Senior Bowl. Like many, we have been astonished and disappointed by the firestorm of falsehoods and rumor mongering that has been spread in Mobile as a result of an erroneous story in The Tampa Tribune earlier this week. These are the FACTS:

• Neither MASA, the Senior Bowl organization, nor anyone on its behalf has been in contact with anyone related to Tampa about anything.

• We have been looking forward to receiving a new contract proposal from the Ladd-Peebles Stadium Board since the subject was officially opened in early December, 2008 by a contact from legal counsel for the Board. We subsequently confirmed our hopes to receive such a proposal with a member of the City Council. We have never indicated to anyone with the Stadium Board, the City or the City Council that we preferred to delay this process. We continue to look forward to receiving a new contract proposal and expect to devote our full attention to addressing that proposal with the Stadium Board.

• Like many other organizations, we have solicited additional funding from the City of Mobile in the past two years, including a formal process through CitiSmart, culminating with a presentation to the City Council. We undertook this process based upon the specific suggestion of officials of the City of Mobile as to how we should approach the City for additional funding.

We did not start these rumors and do not intend to stoop into any finger-pointing contests or smear campaigns."

Victor H. Lott, Jr.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Mobile Arts and Sports Association, Inc.