Long Frustrated Donor Brian Kennedy Sues Usc Over Practice Field Naming Rights

The L.A. advertisement magnate whose sanction hung complete nan entranceway to USC’s believe shot section for a 4th period is suing nan schoolhouse for building a new, $200 cardinal installation complete apical of it.

Brian Kennedy, a erstwhile whose institution Regency Outdoor Advertising owns advertisements each complete Los Angeles, claims successful nan suit that USC breached its statement by demolishing nan believe section to build nan Bloom Football Performance Center, which is group to unfastened early adjacent month. The presence of nan state-of-the-art installation and erasure of a section that featured nan sanction of Kennedy and 1 different donor, according to a title obtained by The Times, has caused him “reputational harm,” “embarrassment” and “humiliation.”

“For much than 2 decades,” nan title states, “the Field stood arsenic a visible acknowledgment of [Kennedy’s] bonzer contributions to [USC] and nan lasting narration betwixt [Kennedy] and nan University.”

Kennedy was 1 of USC’s astir visible and vocal boosters during its glory years nether shot coach Pete Carroll. In caller years, Kennedy had besides utilized his advertisements to demand nan return of erstwhile USC moving backmost Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy.

But his narration arsenic a big-time philanthropist to Trojan athletics really began successful 1998, erstwhile USC was hopeless to build a caller believe section for caller shot coach Paul Hackett.

Kennedy told The Times successful 2023 that nan schoolhouse came to him aft it had problem uncovering different able booster to ft nan bill. To that point, he’d only made smaller contributions, chiefly to nan nine lucky and play teams. But eventually, nan schoolhouse convinced Kennedy to fork complete $400,000 for nan field, nether nan condition, he said, that he power each aspects of nan construction. He besides later paid to adhd turf and an physics scoreboard to nan field.

He besides later paid to adhd turf and an physics scoreboard to nan field.

Kennedy and USC officially entered into an statement to conception nan section successful April 1998. According to nan complaint, nan original statement to sanction nan section “and immoderate description of it” aft Kennedy was intended to stay successful effect “for nan life of nan field.”

The original agreement, according to Kennedy, was for nan position of nan statement to stay “for a play of 50 years.” But that language, nan title notes, was struck from nan statement earlier nan last statement was drafted a week later.

How nan “life” of Howard Jones and Brian Kennedy Field is defined will beryllium particularly important to nan case. USC has made changes to nan believe section and reconfigured it since its original construction. A personification acquainted pinch nan school’s reasoning but not authorized to speak publically told The Times that nan schoolhouse plans to reason nan section had outlived its usefulness.

USC protect coordinator Gary Patterson directs players during a believe astatine Howard Jones and Brian Kennedy Field connected March 10.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Kennedy did meet pinch USC officials astatine 1 constituent to effort to find a “a mutually acceptable intends of preserving and honoring nan nickname antecedently afforded and promised to [him].” But he yet felt that USC wasn’t offering “comparable recognition” to his original finance successful building a section he saw arsenic portion of his legacy.

Now, he’s suing USC for promissory estoppel, fraud, breach of nan covenant of bully religion and adjacent dealing and negligent misrepresentation. Kennedy says successful nan filing that righting nan incorrect would mean “enforcement of USC’s promises” arsenic good arsenic “appropriate alleviation for nan plaintiff.”

Even pinch nan caller installation opening, nan scheme astatine USC, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan situation, had been to support nan westbound entranceway to nan believe section which bears Kennedy’s name, known arsenic Goux’s Gate, untouched. The schoolhouse besides plans to adhd a plaque to nan installation that denotes that it stands connected nan crushed wherever Brian Kennedy Field erstwhile stood.

That wasn’t capable for Kennedy, who says nan schoolhouse has acted “willful, malicious, oppressive, fraudulent” and “despicable” arsenic it planned its installation improvements.

During interviews pinch The Times successful 2023 and 2024, Kennedy expressed a heavy emotion and affection for his alma mater. But for much than a decade, his narration pinch USC has been complicated, to opportunity nan least.

It first soured complete a decade ago, during nan tenure of diversion head Pat Haden. Where Kennedy was adjacent to his predecessor, Mike Garrett, he did not get on pinch Haden. Kennedy was a awesome proponent of erstwhile Trojan adjunct Ed Orgeron, who led USC connected a magical, late-season tally arsenic interim coach successful 2013 — and who was infamously passed complete for nan occupation successful favour of Steve Sarkisian.

Kennedy told The Times he besides fought pinch Haden’s successor, Lynn Swann, complete pledged backing for nan Galen Center.

His title states that Kennedy, successful total, has contributed complete $4 cardinal to USC.

Former USC diversion head Mike Bohn made inroads pinch Kennedy, gathering pinch him for luncheon aggregate times. But Kennedy told The Times he felt nan aforesaid effort hadn’t been made by Bohn’s successor, Jennifer Cohen.

The believe section naming authorities proved to beryllium nan past straw successful what was already a fraught narration pinch USC.