72 hours before kickoff, KU has no signed contract with the Chiefs to play at Arrowhead Stadium

By Sam Zeff, Kansas News Service Sep 26, 2024

Three days before the University of Kansas football team was scheduled to play a game at Arrowhead Stadium, no agreement had been signed.

They’re painting a Jayhawk on the field at Arrowhead Stadium.

University of Kansas Athletics said it plans to be there Friday to prepare the press box for Saturday’s football game against TCU.

KU head coach Lance Leipold is looking forward to playing at the home of the Chiefs.

“Hopefully, (fans) show up, are energetic and can help us when we need them,” Leipold said.

Here’s the rub: KU and the Chiefs have yet to sign a contract allowing the Jayhawks to play at Arrowhead.

“It’s complex,” KU Athletics spokesperson Daniel Berk said.

Berk wouldn’t go into detail about what those complexities are, except to say insurance coverage is one of them.

KU announced on Jan. 30 that it would play its home football games in Kansas City while rebuilding Memorial Stadium in Lawrence for $450 million. The first two were at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The rest will be played at Arrowhead.

The day after KU announced the games away from the home field, KCUR filed a Kansas Open Records Request for the contracts.

Before the Jayhawks opened the season against Lindenwood University in August, KU provided the contract with Sporting KC for use if its park.

But week after week in response to follow-up questions, KU kept sending emails from the Custodian of Public Records saying it had “no determinative response to offer you at this time” concerning the Arrowhead contract. Every email ended the same, “Thank you for your attention and patience.”

Then Wednesday, KU sent an email saying “the University of Kansas does not have a final executed agreement” for the games at Arrowhead. It promised to provide the contract as soon as it was signed and reviewed by the university’s lawyers.

Berk said not to worry.

“It’s been six months of complex communications, but we fully expect to have an agreement,” he told KCUR.

However complex the contract with the Chiefs might be, the one with Sporting is brief and simple. The “Letter of Agreement” is only four pages long. KU paid Sporting $100,000 in rent and another $150,000 for game day operations, according to the deal obtained through the open records request.

Sporting KC retained all parking and concession revenue and got 20% of KU merchandise revenue sold at the park. KU was also obligated to reimburse Sporting for “reasonable” and “documented” expenses to repair any damage to the field.

The Chiefs did not return an email seeking comment.

— Sam Zeff reports for Kansas News Service.