Connecticut And Rhode Island Are Officially Out Of The AUDL

September 25, 2012 by Charlie Eisenhood in News with 1 Comment

Two weeks ago, Ultiworld obtained a letter from the American Ultimate Disc League to the Connecticut Constitution and Rhode Island Rampage warning them that their contracts with the league would be terminated if they did not pay fines and rectify other issues by last Friday, September 21st.

The two teams, which are in the midst of a legal dispute with the league, disputed the fines. Both said goodbye on their respective Facebook pages on Friday, but have not been contacted about the contract termination.

However, last night, Josh Moore, the President of the AUDL, told Ultiworld:

As you are aware, the teams had until the 21st to resolve issues. We were unfortunately unable to get any resolution to the issues by the deadline and will be moving onto the 2013 season without the Constitution or Rampage. We still remain open to speaking with both parties to come to an agreement and the door could still be open for their return in the future, but need to proceed with our planning of next season with the teams that are on board.

Last week, both the Constitution and Rampage were offered “an olive branch” to settle the dispute, but both declined. Bryan Ricci, the owner of the Constitution, said the deal “came up far short of anything [he] would consider discussing.” Emerson Kilgore, the owner of the Rampage, called his offer “an insult.”

A future deal seems highly unlikely. Ricci and Kilgore have sent cease-and-desist letters to the league and have filed an injunction for placing the New York and Boston teams within their respective territories. They say the legal battle is far from over.

Tagged AUDL, Bryan Ricci, Connecticut Constitution, Emerson Kilgore, Josh Moore, Rhode Island Rampage

About Charlie Eisenhood

Charlie Eisenhood is the editor-in-chief of Ultiworld. He started playing Ultimate in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a high school student. He captained NYU's college team and has played Open Club with Sweet Roll (Albuquerque) and Medicine Men (Baltimore). He lives in Brooklyn. You can reach him by email (charlie@ultiworld.com) or on Twitter (@ceisenhood).

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