Sun Sentinel Report: GEO Group Walks Away from FAU Stadium Naming Rights Deal

Apr 1, 2013
9:05 PM

UPDATE, April 1, 2013 10 pm EST: the Florida Atlantic University protest group behind the call to stop the GEO Group’s efforts said the following in a press statement: “This shows that students, faculty and the community working together can speak out for justice and human rights and win—even against a $2 billion company and a university president.

On February 19, many people online were shocked to learn that a college football stadium was going to be named after a private prison company. Tonight the Sun Sentinel reported the following story:

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A 2009 rendering of the new FAU stadium

Florida Atlantic University’s football stadium will no longer be named after GEO Group, after the Boca Raton prison company announced Monday it was withdrawing its $6 million donation.

The deal, which critics dubbed “Owlkatraz,” had been subject to numerous protests from student and outside civil rights groups since it was announced Feb. 19.

The report also contain a quote from GEO Group Chairman George Zoley: “What was originally intended as a gesture of GEO’s goodwill… has surprisingly evolved into an ongoing distraction to both of our organizations.” According to the report, Zoley was a former chairman of the FAU Board of Trustees. The story also said that even though the new stadium will not be named for the GEO Group, “it will still donate $500,000 toward this year’s academic scholarship program.”

Looks like FAU finally saw these videos.