LSU AD: Cancellation to cost school up to $3.2 million
LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said Tuesday the school would be offering full refunds on all tickets purchased to Saturday's canceled game vs. McNeese State.
By
Jerry Hinnen
•
1 min read
When lightning and heavy rain forced the cancellation of LSU's season opener against FCS McNeese State, it cost the Tigers a sure win and a valuable chance to tune up before their SEC opener this Saturday at Mississippi State. But LSU athletic director Joe Alleva told the Baton Rouge Advocate on Tuesday it will also cost the program a healthy chunk of change.
Alleva and LSU announced that fans who bought their tickets for the game through the Tigers athletic department will receive a full refund -- a refund that combined with the $500,000 payout to McNeese State and other expenses means the cancellation will come at a cost to LSU of anywhere between $1.2 million to $3.2 million, Alleva said.
An insurance policy may allow LSU to recoup some of the money, but how much is currently unclear.
“Since this is a nearly unprecedented situation, we have had to thoroughly explore our options in addressing the matter of ticket refunds,” Alleva said. “In the end, we believe that issuing the refund is quite simply the right thing to do in this case. We have a plan in place that fairly reimburses fans who purchased tickets through our ticket office.”
The game kicked off as scheduled but was postponed after only eight scoreless plays from scrimmage. With lightning continuing throughout the evening, the game was called off at 10:35 local time. Alleva has said neither a postponement to Sunday nor a rescheduling later in the season were feasible options.
LSU's cancellation joins Toledo's and Stony Brook's as the second of the 2015 FBS season and the second in the SEC in as many years. In 2014, Florida's opening-week game against Idaho was washed out, forcing the Gators to play only 11 games in the 2014 regular season.
