David Crochet
July 14, 2009
Houma house fire kills 4 pets
July 16, 2009
Attorneys for the Houma Conquerors and the Southern Indoor Football League are trying to negotiate a resolution to a weeklong squabble over the team’s ownership and debts owed to a local marketing firm.
SIFL president Thom Hager announced last Tuesday that the league had taken control of the Conquerors because team owner Franklin Thomas Jr. was in default for not paying league dues since April.
Thomas is challenging the default status, claiming he has until July 24 to pay the dues he owes.
According to Thomas, the SIFL notified him on June 24 that he was in default, and that his contract gives him 30 days from that date to pay off the debt.
“I’m going to contest this because I’m not pleased with some things that have been going on with the league,” Thomas said. “At my attorney’s request, I won’t get into it right now.
Hager said, however, the contract puts Thomas in default 15 days after he received the notice. The league president also stated that Thomas has 30 days to make up the three months of dues he still owes.
Hager and Thomas refused to specify the amount of money owed.
“If he really had the money to pay (his league dues), he would have paid it off,” Hager said. “I think he’s a man of good character, but if you want to be in my league, you have to pay your way. There are no free rides for anybody.”
In addition, Conquerors players Charles Philips and Tim Betts said Thomas has been late in paying players’ salaries and several players had at least one check bounce earlier this season.
Betts, who is also an assistant coach, insisted that Thomas still has not paid him for the last six games he has coached.
Thomas blamed the bounced checks on an accounting error. He did not address Betts’ claim that money is still owed to him.
“There was a mistake on my part as far as the funds that were in the bank. We didn’t catch it at that time,” Thomas said. “But, we fixed it and those checks have been restituted.”
Louisiana Sports and Entertainment Group, a local marketing firm hired by the Conquerors six weeks ago, also said Thomas owes them money for use of dasher boards – the padding that lines the walls of the field and protects players and fans – and other expenses.
The firm, co-owned by Travis Carrell, Kirk Bonvillain and Tate Boudreaux, has been paying players’ salaries with the sponsorship deals it has generated from local businesses.
“The amount of money we collected is a lot less than what we have spent,” said Carrell, who did not specify the amount his firm is owed. “But we did it for the fans, the players and the community. We didn’t want to see this fall apart.”
The SIFL threatened to move or cancel Saturday’s game against the Acadiana Mudbugs if Thomas did not either pay his dues or sign over the date with the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center to the SIFL so that it could allow Louisiana Sports and Entertainment Group to put on the game.
Thomas refused both options. After a teleconference on Friday, the marketing firm agreed to put on Saturday’s game for free.
Hager said the SIFL sanctioned the game because the marketing firm owns the dasher boards.
“Without dasher boards and dasher pads, you can’t have a game,” Hager said. “The only reason we had a game (Saturday) was because of these great fans and Louisiana Sports and Entertainment stepped up to the plate.”
However, Thomas collected the revenue from ticket sales and merchandise while Louisiana Sports and Entertainment Group paid the players and covered other expenses.
“If it wasn’t for Travis and Kirk and Tate, honestly, this franchise would have folded halfway through the season,” Philips said.
Hager and Thomas agree on one thing: Houma will have a Southern Indoor Football League team in 2010. Whether the Conquerors are that team remains to be seen.
Hager wants to expand the SIFL from Houma eastward along the Gulf Coast. Thomas said he has spent at least $100,000 on the organization and plans to turn its financial situation around.
“(Franklin) can keep the Conquerors’ name. That is his concept,” Hager said. “I just want the market.”
“We pumped a lot of money into this team to play in this arena to just turn it over now,” Thomas declared. “We have a second and a third year that we’re looking toward. This will get better.”
Houma Conquerors assistant coach David McCormick (in white shirt) is pumped over Derrick Patterson’s (number 8) interception in Saturday’s win against the Acadiana Mudbugs at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
