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UCLA leaving Rose Bowl? Stadium files lawsuit alleging school wants move to SoFi Stadium
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- UCLA leaving Rose Bowl? Stadium files lawsuit alleging school wants move to SoFi Stadium
The Rose Bowl and city of Pasadena, California, have filed a lawsuit against UCLA, accusing the university of trying to break its lease with the stadium and move its home games to SoFi Stadium.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, aims to force UCLA to honor its contract with the stadium and city, which keeps the Bruins playing their home games at the historic venue through 2044. The University of California Regents are also named as a defendant. The Los Angeles Times first reported the news.
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The suit alleges UCLA of "a profound betrayal of trust" for "unequivocally expressing its intent to abandon the Rose Bowl Stadium and relocate its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood." According to court documents, the Rose Bowl reached out to UCLA representatives about the issue in March, and UCLA "is now, once again, considering breaking" the contract, preferred to leave the Rose Bowl "sooner rather than later."
Pasadena officials said taxpayers have invested more than $150 million in stadium renovations, and another $130 million in bonds for other improvements.
General view of the stadium before the game between the UCLA and the New Mexico at Rose Bowl.
The city of Pasadena called it an "unfortunate but necessary step."
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"The city expects UCLA will honor the terms of the agreement, and the City Council will do everything in its power to protect and defend the city's contractual rights on behalf of the public interest, the City's residents, and all in our region," the city said in a statement. "The city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Stadium, steadfast partners to UCLA for more than four decades, are extremely disappointed with UCLA's attempt to terminate the lease."
The Rose Bowl is currently undergoing renovations as it prepares to be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Despite publicly assuring it would stay at the Rose Bowl, the suits alleges UCLA has "chosen to disregard those promises" and formally notified the city and Rose Bowl that it cannot play in the stadium long term, according to the story. The plaintiffs believe if UCLA moved to SoFi Stadium, it could cause more than a billion dollars in monetary damages to the city and stadium.
UCLA outside counsel David L. Schrader wrote to Pasadena's attorney Nima Mohebbi in March the university did not violate the agreement and "preliminary discussions" about potentially moving "do not constitute a material breach" of the contact.
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"Despite the necessary action taken yesterday, the city of Pasadena and Rose Bowl Stadium look forward to continued partnership with UCLA for years to come," the city added.
UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications Mary Osako said in a statement while the university continues "to evaluate the long-term arrangement" for the Bruins, "no decision has been made."
The Bruins have played at the Rose Bowl since 1982. While it is an historic venue that hosts the annual New Year's Day bowl game, attendance has long been a problem for UCLA that has worsened in recent years. Despite a capacity of more than 89,000, UCLA has had more than 70,000 in the stadium just twice since 2021.
UCLA added tarps to both end zone sections to cover the large empty portions of the stadium. The average home attendance for UCLA in 2025 is 35,253.
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The Rose bowl is roughly a 25-mile drive for UCLA's campus, something students and fans have said is a major reason why it is difficult to attend games.
SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, is located in the city of Inglewood and is a 13-mile drive from UCLA. It also has a covered roof, which the Rose Bowl does not have.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rose Bowl sues UCLA for allegedly effort to play at SoFi Stadium
