FOOTBALL

Prominent Booster Sues USC

One of USC athletics most prominent boosters of the past 30 years has filed a lawsuit against the university after it demolished a football practice field that was named after him.

The New York Post reports that Brian Kennedy of Beverly Hills suffered “reputational harm,” “embarrassment” and “humiliation.”

Kennedy, who has donated at least $4 million to USC, has had one of USC’s two football practice fields named after him since the late 1990’s.

But USC removed his name and the field during the recent makeover with the new football facility. He also donated a scoreboard for Howard Jones Field that was torn down.

I’m told that in recent years, Kennedy had requested a meeting with athletic director Jen Cohen but she sent an underling instead.

The crux of the lawsuit is that Kennedy basically paid to install a football practice field and installed lights and a scoreboard at Howard Jones Field and now USC has removed his name from the practice field. A source said USC also wanted more money to keep Kennedy’s name on the fields after the renovation.

Kennedy also has a banquet/meeting room at the Galen Center named after him.along with a building next to the swimming pool that houses offices for the swim, water polo and golf coaches.

When LSU won the national title, Ed Orgeron invited Kennedy to sit in his suite for the game. The two have been close since they met at USC.

51 thoughts on “Prominent Booster Sues USC”

    1. I don’t know what constitutes ‘SC people…’ if it’s the usual clowns off of West 28th Street – good riddance.

      This may be as Wolf described ‘or’ it may be what Cohen has ‘uncovered’ i.e. it isn’t a normal jump, regardless of tenure, for athletic administrator(s) to make that many moves – I’d say there was a reason an underling was sent to meet the donor.

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  4. Scott, you need to dig deeper. I have been involved with naming rights for a nonprofit children’s museum, and the contract for naming rights is never open ended…it is usually for a stipulated number of years like 20 years. Is Brian Kennedy’s name still on the dining hall/meeting room? Ed Orgeron was smoozing him at LSU so he would be a contributor there. Is anything named for him at LSU? Maybe the athletic department has approached him for a donation towards the new football facility and he declined so no need to send the AD to talk to him. Please get the whole story before you start your negative comments about the USC administration. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962. I donated towards one of the Heisman jerseys along with another alum about 20 years ago, and I haven’t received an annual thank you note or a visit from the AD. Whoa is me. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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  6. KAM: We never discuss health care, but the quality seems to be going down

    DON: Yeah, the doctors today say “Yes, this pill will cure what’s ailing you but the side effects will kill you’

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      1. Alv, I agree. We aren’t getting the full story. But then again, when do you in litigation? Maybe Scott can dig deeper. Something tells me he won’t let this go…

        Liked by 3 people

  8. KAM: At least this Kennedy lawsuit is not riveting enough to become a national news item, unlike other SC fiascos

    DON: These days you can sue for anything like, “Your Honor, he was staring at me too long”

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      2. 100% no PCH rebuild in Malibu. Just graffiti painted on the existing concrete slabs. Looks awful. Bass is incompetent. Leaving aside politics, she never had the experience or skillset to be mayor of a city.

        Liked by 2 people

  9. KAM: Only about 5-weeks before SC’s first game. Pre-Season is always fun when speculating about Troy’s chances

    DON: It also helps that at the moment you are undefeated

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  10. so the Agin’ Cajun has turned an SC alum agin his school! i reckon more chickens will be coming home to roost soon. this will increase after wolfman releases his blockbuster tell-all book, unfortunately he is holding off till then end of the Riley Administration which i predict will occur right before this year’s Holiday Bowl which will again feature the trOJies.

    #SoLetItBeWrittenSoletItBeDone

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    1. The “Like” is for the Cool Photo of Charlie in full Egyptian regalia…. not for the text [which undervalues a team destined to beat Oregon and Ohio State]…..

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      3. agree, i lookd it up and he was nominated for leading actor so he lost Oscar to Charlton Heston. i reckon it was more a supporting role but what do i know.

        #HollyWeird

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      4. Heston was better when he was talking Sophia Loren into putting a lance in his dead hand [El Cid]. I honestly think this is where he got the idea for “you can have my gun when you take it from my cold dead hand” line….

        [In his defense, Heston came to EVERY Heston Fan Club Meeting held for him at the City Attorney’s Office …and he stayed around to pose for photos and sign autographs for everybody who wanted one ….me not being one of those people, btw]…..

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      5. Heston was great until he saw the ‘burning bush’ from that frame on he acted like a literal robot.

        Most giveckudis for ‘zBen Hur’ but his performance as Marc Antony (scene ‘…lend me your ears…’ was one of the finest performances of ‘the bard’s’ Julius Caesar, I’ve ever seen.

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      6. 100%, Alv! HIs El Cid was pretty great too —but he REALLY acted like a robot on that last charge against the Moors [of course he was dead]……

        Liked by 3 people

  11. KAM: SC played this poorly by taking down Kennedy’s name without some kind of notice

    DON: I can understand Kennedy wanting to keep his name alive

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  12. DON: Since Carrot left I’ve learned to accept average SC football and going to lesser bowl games

    KAM: Best to meet reality head-on, right?

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  13. DON: Besides, SC football has had more than its share of success with amazing runs in the 60s and 70s with McKay, then Robinson, and the early 2000s with Carrot

    KAM: Since Carrot left the pickings have been slim but I cherished the Darnold 2016 team and the 2022 Celeb squad

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    1. 2016 was way more dramatic and rewarding than Caleb’s first year — we came back & won our 2nd big test against Penn State after getting creamed in our 1st big test…

      #…Alabama

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  14. Scooter,

    Is Jen Taco Lita an idiot? She has no concept on what runs SC sports. She believes that women’s lacrosse, soccer, and women’s beach volleyball are the big revenue sports. She is an idiot. She should have met with him and discuss what the issue is and and how to resolve it. Does she not know that he can inform other donors to shut off the money valve. SC is so screwed up right now. They hired a bunch of woke DEI idiots that don’t understand the details to SC.

    Folt and Large Mouth Bass are cut from the same clothe and both should be running around in orange jump suits for ruining SC and the City of LA. Take Jen Taco Lita Cohen with Folt.

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    1. Mayor Bass hasn’t begun to destroy L. A. the way she wants to…she has to wait till mid November ….

      #I’mReallyAskingForIt,Aren’tI,MisterModerator?

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  15. DON: This Kennedy guy also said in 2020 that SC football was “dog-excrement’

    KAM: When Wiley came in in 2022 he basically said the same thing using cleaner language

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  16. KAM: His SC players liked Helton. Perhaps because he didn’t put much pressure on them to win

    DON: He has become a mere footnote in SC’s football history

    KAM: SC is on the mend with’BowDown’ still working the recruiting trail for the 2028 class

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      1. …or saying that he wanted to give a luv hug” to a center who snapped the ball into our endzone [and lost the Cal game all by himself] was pressure??!

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  17. Scott, we all know that you are anti=USC administration, but please give it a rest. You have zero knowledge about the relationship of Brian Kennedy with USC….maybe Mr. Kennedy is broke and is looking for money by sueing USC. You don’t know the contract that he signed with USC years ago when he donated the money. You don’t know if the contract is void once the named field is replaced and the scoreboard is replaced, and maybe he didn’t want to donate for the upgrades thereby ending the naming rights. And, maybe they were just irked that he was approached to donate to LSU instead of facilities at USC. If he was stiffing USC for new money, I would stiff him, too. Ask MG his legal opinion of this frivolous lawsuit. By the way, how exactly has he benefitted from having his name on the practice field except for the fact that real journalists always mentioned his name when the walked on or off the practice field. By the way, I have not received a thank you annually for the past 20 years for making a donation to sponsor a Heisman jersey in Heritage Hall, but I still love my school and will contribute whenever I can….that’s what true Trojans do instead of worrying about vanity naming rights. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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