Blame Game Continues

Some NFL fans are in for a double whammy: Not only was the preseason opener canceled, there may not be a full refund for the ticket. The cancellation of the Philadelphia Eagles preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday left as many questions about ticket refunds as the viability of the Veterans Stadium turf. And a city official said he would withhold a $440,000 payment to the turf maker while investigating the problem.

Roughly 58,000 season-ticket holders who bought directly from the Eagles will automatically get refund checks in the mail, even if they didn`t plan to attend the game. But those who bought single-game tickets from friends, scalpers or independent ticket agents may be in for a tougher time.

Those who bought their seats through Ticketmaster, either on the Internet or by phone, are only eligible for a partial refund. They can receive a credit equal to the ticket`s face value, but must give up the agency`s per-seat handling fee, plus any special-delivery costs. The refund policy of ticket brokers may also vary.

Spectators who bought from scalpers are out-of-luck entirely.

The game was called off after NFL officials and players complained that the artificial turf was uneven. Grounds crews traced the problem to the soft clay on the stadium`s baseball diamond, which is covered with turf for football. The dirt had become waterlogged in heavy rain.

City Controller Jonathan A. Saidel said he would withhold a $440,000 payment to the Texas company that makes the artificial turf while he probes who is responsible for drainage problems that left areas around the bases, pitcher`s mound and home plate muddy and unstable, and why the city bought the turf without seeking other bids.

The company that makes and installs the NeXturf field surface at Veterans Stadium is blaming the city – not its product – for the cancellation.

Troy Squires, a spokesman for NeXturf manufacturer Southwest Recreational Industries, said the company is in charge of maintaining the turf, not what lies beneath it. "We had all we could handle doing our own job. We couldn`t also do the job of others," he said. "There is nothing wrong with the turf. It was basically that the stuff under the turf was mushy."

Representatives of the Eagles, the NFL, the city and Southwest met throughout the day Wednesday to talk about solutions to the problem.

Mayor John Street, speaking to reporters, said he was confident the turf will be usable for future games. He defended the decision not to play the game. "I don`t think we made the wrong call. The conversion, under those circumstances, was difficult," he said.

Eagles spokesman Ron Howard said the team had no good estimate on how many fans were seeking refunds, outside of season-ticket holders.

The team expects the cancelation to cost between $5 million and $10 million.

Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Author: 6 ABC - Action News