Alabama Crimson Tide Booster Files Ethics Complaint
By Josh Sanchez
A longtime University of Alabama booster has had enough of state public officials buying tickets to the football games without paying extra as Tide Pride members. Because of this, the booster, 76-year-old Fred Palmer, is set to file an ethics complaint against the state officials.
“It’s not fair for the people that can’t get tickets,” Palmer said, according to al.com. “The legislators work for us. They’re no better than we are. There are 28,000 people on a waiting list who can’t join Tide Pride unless they pay $25,000 per seat to jump the line, and 100 legislators get the tickets.”
The Alabama Ethics Commission says that it is an issue that is not in their hands.
“It’s not an ethics issue,” said Alabama ethics director Jim Sumner. “”The commission couldn’t do anything even if they wanted to. This is an issue for the universities to determine. If they want public officials to purchase tickets outside the booster program, that is not an issue for the commission.”
Palmer is upset that people can buy tickets without any extra donations or without paying anything in to Pride Tide. Students, faculty, staff and public officials are receiving free booster-club membership, while there are multiple people waiting in line to get a crack at season tickets.
It is unfortunate, but is it really unfair?
We just have to accept certain things and this is one of them. State public officials can get their hands on tickets for face value and that’s just the way it is. It is highly unlikely that Palmer’s complaint will result in overturning the way Alabama currently hands out their tickets, so everyone should get used to waiting for their shot at getting a donation.