Fan’s lawsuit demands the Giants, Jets return to NYC from New Jersey
Forget the recent years of football failures: There’s still one fan who wants the Giants and Jets to leave New Jersey for their old home in New York.
A $6 billion Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit filed this week demanded the two teams, with a combined record of 8-24 and one week left in yet another lost season, abandon their shared Meadowlands home of MetLife Stadium and return to the Big Apple.
Plaintiff Abdiell Suero, of Greenwich Village, asked in the class action complaint for an order returning both franchises to New York in 2025 — along with the multi-billion payout nearly a half-century after the Giants moved to the swamps of Jersey.
“If the Giants and Jets want to call themselves New York teams, they need to come back to New York,” said Suero in court papers. “I’ve traveled to and from MetLife Stadium by mass transit and car service, and both ways are a nightmare.”
Court papers also asked for the two teams to be rebranded as the East Rutherford Giants and Jets for as long as they continue to play in New Jersey.
The Jets did not immediately respond to the lawsuit, while the Giants issued a statement declaring “this case has no merit and we will defend it vigorously.”
The Giants moved to New Jersey and the since torn-down Giants Stadium in 1976, while the Jets joined them in the Garden State eight years later. Both teams now play in MetLife Stadium.
“The Giants and Jets have no legal or ethical right to play in a stadium built on cheap landfills in New Jersey and still call themselves New York franchises,” said plaintiff’s attorney Evan Spencer. “New York is a special state and an iconic brand that can’t be used by NFL New Jersey Teams to increase their value.”
In court papers, Suero and his attorney contended the relocation of the teams to East Rutherford took a toll on their fans.
“Plaintiff and the class of New York Giants and Jets fans respectfully request that both teams return to the State of New York so they can enjoy all the healthy social, psychological and physical benefits associated with sports identifications of their home NFL teams,” read the 19-page court filing.
“The move to New Jersey financially benefited the the defendants alone at the expense of plaintiff and the class of millions of Giants and Jets fans ... Plaintiff and the class have suffered mental and emotional damage, including depression, sadness and anxiety ... as a result of the Defendants’ conduct.”
The lawsuit seeks $2 billion in monetary damages and $4 billion in punitive damages. The class, according to the suit, would include all Giants and Jets fans who live in New York. Legal claims against the teams and the NFL include false advertising and deceptive practices.
Suero complained specifically about the time and trouble required for a trip to watch the teams that still claim their their long-severed ties to the Big Apple.
“The travel time was longer than the game and it ruined the whole day,” he griped. “The transportation cost almost as much as the tickets.”
