COLUMBUS – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says his office plans to go ahead with a joint lawsuit with the city of Columbus against the owner of the Columbus Crew SC to stop the team’s relocation to Austin.
In a letter to Mayor Andrew Ginther acknowledging the suit, Precourt Sports Ventures claims it has given the city adequate notice of its intent to move as required under a state law passed following the Cleveland Browns’ relocation to Baltimore, according to a report in the Columbus Dispatch.
Looks like Precourt’s intention all along was to leave Columbus despite feigned efforts that he cared about the fans and the city. Regardless, he has obligations under Ohio law, and we will move forward with the lawsuit as planned. https://t.co/MoJNEQu8xB
— Zach Klein (@zmklein) March 17, 2018
“I want to make clear that we intend to press ahead with our case. We will still seek for the court to confirm that Ohio Revised Code 9.67 and all provisions therein apply to PSV and MLS and that over the next six months they must provide a reasonable opportunity for local investors to indeed purchase the rights to keep Crew SC in Columbus.” –Attorney General Mike DeWine
DeWine says, while it is encouraging that the letter says interested parties should contact PSV with offers to buy “the rights to operate the Crew in Columbus” it is also “tacit recognition by PSV and [Major League Soccer] that having accepted public funding, they have responsibilities under Ohio’s law.”