Florida Atlantic University's football stadium will not be called GEO Group Stadium after all, according to George Zoley, chairman and CEO of the private prison company that pledged $6 million to FAU in exchange for stadium naming rights.
The original pledge of $500,000 annual gifts to the athletic department over 12 years was made Feb. 19, but instantly set off alarms in the court of public opinion. Protesters cited a judge's ruling condemning conditions in one correctional facility operated by GEO, as well as multimillion-dollar lawsuits GEO had lost over treatment of prisoners.
Florida Atlantic University's football stadium will not be called GEO Group Stadium after all, according to George Zoley, chairman and CEO of the private prison company that pledged $6 million to FAU in exchange for stadium naming rights.
The original pledge of $500,000 annual gifts to the athletic department over 12 years was made Feb. 19, but instantly set off alarms in the court of public opinion. Protesters cited a judge's ruling condemning conditions in one correctional facility operated by GEO, as well as multimillion-dollar lawsuits GEO had lost over treatment of prisoners.
In the wake of Monday's announcement, a student group calling itself Stop Owlcatraz - so named because FAU athletic teams are nicknamed the Owls - claimed victory. "We won this because we spoke the truth about GEO's human rights abuses," Anole Halper, a member of the group, told The Palm Beach Post. "The truth is really powerful."
"What was originally intended as a gesture of GEO's goodwill to financially assist the university's athletic scholarship program has surprisingly evolved into an ongoing distraction to both of our organizations," stated Zoley, a former FAU board chairman. "We employ many FAU graduates and Boca Raton community members. We take pride in running a well-respected company and are proud of our long-term support of the University."
In lieu of the larger donation, GEO Group reportedly will donate $500,000 this year toward academic scholarships. It is not clear where FAU will turn next for potential stadium sponsorship.
