Roses Protest After Being Locked Out of Home Field
By
KGNS News
Story Created:
Jun 23, 2012 at 11:29 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Jun 24, 2012
The Laredo Roses were supposed to have their inaugural game tonight, but were left out in the parking lot.
The team showed up to Uni-Trade Stadium, which they thought is their home field, chanting 'let us play' after being locked out.
The team said they negotiated with Uni-Trade in April to hold their games in the stadium, but received an e-mail on Wednesday saying they were not allowed to play there.
According to League Commissioner, Rebecca Garza, the city said the certificate of occupancy was only approved for Lemur games only, despite other events like the Alexander and Corpus Christi Carroll game taking place in Uni-Trade.
She said she feels the team got caught in a cross fire between the city and Laredo Lemurs CEO Mark Schuster.
The team officials said they invested lots of money into this game, hiring a video crew, broadcasters and referees.
They said the decision could have been solved by one phone call and they are disappointed in the city.
"We even got with the Mayor, the mayors answer was no, I'm going to do what’s best for the city and I don't understand how shutting these girls out from playing the games they trained for, to showcase the city in a good light is in the best interest in the city. How is dragging the city or this stadium into a lawsuit in the best interest of the city? This could have been avoided with one phone call. One phone call."
We placed a call to the mayor at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, but the call has not been returned as of yet.
The team moved over to Father McNaboe park, where the conditions were less than suitable for play.
The team though...carried on the game, despite the park not having lights.
Their fans turned on their headlights to provide light for the women to continue play.
The Roses, though, took the loss to the Corpus Christi Mermaids, 21-14.
