I feel it's wrong to sell tickets for over the price you paid for them. It sounds to me that the security guy either had something against this guy, knew someone on the list personally that wanted to have the 50 yard line season tickets or was just on a power trip that security personnell are often on. Of course it could be any combination of the above too. I feel bad for the guy, I think he should have gotten a warning if it was the first time he'd done it and was truly a loyal fan. Everyone's capable of making a mistake in judgement every once in awhile, this may have just been that. This security guy and the Pat's may still be fighting this whole thing because they already resold his seat to another season ticket holder. In that case, how can they give it back?
Things that make you go hmmmm Just FYI: Found this chapter which implies these kind of charity auctions are legal. CHAPTER 140. LICENSES. Chapter 140: Section 185G. Nonapplicability of statutes to tickets for entertainment of nonprofit organizations. Section 185G. The provisions of section one hundred and eighty-two A and the six preceding sections shall not apply to tickets or other evidences of entry to theatrical exhibitions, public shows or public amusements or exhibitions, all the proceeds of the sale or resale of which inure exclusively to the benefit of religious, educational or charitable institutions, societies or organizations or civic leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare or to associations of veterans of any wars of the United States, or to tickets or other evidences of entry to agricultural fairs, none of the profits of the sale or resale of which are distributed to stockholders or members of the association conducting the same.
And from some consumer Q&A on the website of our own Attorney General: http://www.ago.state.ma.us/con_pro/qst_misc.asp?section=17&head2=Miscellaneous 11. I went to Fenway Park the other day for a Red Sox game. My friend never made the game. Could I have resold his ticket? A: You can resell your extra tickets as long as you sell it for face value. The Attorney General's Office, the Department of Public Safety, and courts in Massachusetts have made it clear that the ticket-resale law in Massachusetts penalizes only those engaging in the business of reselling tickets. It is the occupation and not an isolated act which is forbidden.
Someone I work with had tickets to the Monday Night Football game on 9/9. (Pats/Steelers) $500 for each. Somehow, I don't think that's face value. Not sure if he bought them from an agency. If this Patriots fan, never actually completed the Ebay sale, you'd think a legal warning letter would have sufficed. If the guy was assaulted, that's really bad news for the Patriots. I really hope this isn't the case.
The Pats should have fired this security guy. His actions, if in fact true, are indefensable. Nothing worse than big headed 'security' personel.
I hope the truth comes out very soon. All the speculation alone is causing a PR nightmare. No Patriots staffer (security or otherwise) should be assaulting anyone period. If the Patriots organization or the Director of Security wanted to point out the rules/laws regarding the tickets and make him stop the auction/sale (which apparently was never completed), I think a warning letter would have sufficed. Assault certainly never should have become part of the picture (whether it's true or not). It is curious that there are other tickets on Ebay and it appears that none of those ticket holders have been told to stop or had privileges revoked.
Regarding tickets currently on E-Bay: 1. Don't forget that many of them are for away games and... 2. Many are not being sold by season ticket holders, but by those who purchased them on an individual game basis. Those customers have nothing to lose as far as the Krafts are concerned. They can purchase tickets with cash when tickets go on sale every year. The only thing they have to worry about is breaking Massachusetts General Laws.