Street Plays Defense Against Eagles
By TAMARA VOSTOK
Updated 9:00 AM EST, Thu, Apr 2, 2009
The city's 2004 lawsuit against the Philadelphia Eagles is proof enough this secret deal with the team is bogus, according to former Mayor John Street.
"It's almost ludicrous to think a mayor would tell two private citizens, 'You go and make a deal that binds the city of Philadelphia and there's not going to be any writing of any kind.' And somehow the city is going to be bound by that? That doesn't make any sense," Street told the Philadelphia Daily News.
Street added that if he'd made such an agreement -- to settle an $8 million dispute for less than $1 million -- he would have put such a deal in writing.
As Philadelphia is drowning in debt, Mayor Nutter's team claims no knowledge of the deal and challenges its legitimacy, while the Eagles argue the city should live up to its word.
Nutter's staff now says this deal is not valid and should have been reviewed by the city's Law Department .
Eagles team owner Jeffrey Lurie told a different story, claiming Street didn't want the deal put in writing, according to the paper.
The city wants the $8 million raked in by the Eagles Skybox at Veterans Stadium from the 2000 and 2001 seasons. But the Eagles won't pay up, claiming the city is at fault for their losing $8 million when a 2001 pre-season game was canceled due to turf problems.
The Eagles want a Common Pleas Court judge to enforce the deal and have filed details of the agreement with sworn affidavits from team owner Jeffrey Lurie (stating the deal was to pay the city less than $1 million) and team president Joe Banner (who claimed he was told by attorneys to "rely on the mayor's promise" although the deal was not put in writing), reported the Daily News.
Attorney Dean Adler also filed an affidavit claiming the deal with Street was confirmed, but no amount of money was actually specified.
First Published: Apr 2, 2009 7:41 AM EST
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