Judge blocks TRO, preliminary injunction against UCLA in SoFi Stadium negotiations

The latest twist in what could be an extended legal fight over UCLA moving its home football games is in. The Rose Bowl has not been granted the temporary restraining order (TRO) and preliminary injunction it requested to prevent UCLA from negotiating a move to SoFi Stadium, according to a report from The Athletic.

The Athletic’s Ira Gorawara reported Judge Joseph Lipner‘s decision in the case. He ruled against the city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company.

UCLA has reportedly been finalizing a deal to play its home game at SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood. But legal proceedings to block the move quickly unfolded.

The city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company have already filed suit against UCLA to halt the move, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, the first steps in that lawsuit have now been blocked by the judge.

While UCLA’s current lease with the Rose Bowl reportedly runs through June 2044, the current working plan is for the Bruins to begin playing their home football games inside SoFi Stadium beginning in 2026, per Bruin Report Online. That would require UCLA to buy out its current lease with the Rose Bowl at an estimated cost of $60-80 million, according to Bruin Report Online.

The motivation for the move is reportedly completely financial in nature, with UCLA administrators allegedly projecting the revenue generated from SoFi Stadium’s premium seating and luxury suites will be a financial boon for the program at a time when money is king in college football.

But all eyes are on the litigation brought up by the city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Co. The initial verbiage in the suit is interesting.

“This lawsuit arises in an era when money too often eclipses meaning and the pursuit of profit threatens to erase the very traditions that breathe life into institutions,” the suit claims, per the AP. “Some commitments are too fundamental to be traded away.”

Per the Los Angeles Times, Pasadena officials say taxpayers have invested more than $150 million in Rose Bowl renovations. On Thursday, UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications Mary Osako responded to the Los Angeles Times‘ report.

“While we continue to evaluate the long-term arrangement for UCLA Football home games, no
decision has been made,” Osako wrote, according to the LA Times’ Ben Bolch.

The lawsuit reportedly claims that if UCLA leaves the Rose Bowl for SoFi Stadium, city residents could suffer up to a billion dollars in monetary damages. UCLA has played five home games at the Rose Bowl this season, with a record of 2-3 following Saturday’s 28-21 loss to Nebraska. The team has averaged just over 37,000 fans during those games, which would challenge for an all-time low for a program that fired head football coach and alum DeShaun Foster after an 0-3 start to the season.

On3’s Alex Byington and Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.