The USF Felony Dome

So the University of South Florida's Sun Dome isn't going to be named for a company headed by a controversial guy with a criminal background after all. Check out Jeff Testerman's story this morning saying that Academic Financial Services of Tampa has pulled out of the $3-million, five-year deal, saving USF a certain amount of embarrassment.

Company founder Wayne Morgan sounded offended that anyone would be offended at the idea. "I was trying to help the d--- Sun Dome," he says in Testerman's story. "It needs an overhaul. I was trying to do some good."

There were just a couple of teeny problems, including a shareholder lawsuit accusing Morgan of misappropriating $2.58-million of company assets for personal use. There also is his failure to disclose a criminal past on a name-change application (the year before he started his business) including safecracking, larceny and breaking and entering. He did reveal his past conviction for writing an $18,000 worthless check. Oh, and there's a Department of Labor investigation into the company's payroll withholding.

Morgan has built AFS into a big company with 275 employees, but there were some good questions about whether this is the name that USF wants on the signature structure on its Tampa campus.

Now, here is the question behind the news -- how did this proposed deal come about in the first place?

Well, there are a series of corporations involved. USF has its own outfit, Sun Dome Inc. Sun Dome Inc. hired a Tennessee company, Action Sports Media, which in turn was supposed to find marketing deals for the facility. Action Sports Media came up with the AFS deal, which apparently seemed like a good idea at the time -- to Action Sports Media, anyway.

Since money is all that seems to matter, this brings us to the...

Top Five Disreputable Company Names Still Available For The USF Sun Dome:

5. The BALCO Dome.

4. The (Now Defunct) Enron Arena.

3. Rupert Murdoch Gardens.

2. Trump: The Dome.

And the number one corporate name still available...

1. Halliburtonville.

Comments

[Lockbull]

Don't forget the original name for the Houston Astros' stadium, Enron Field. I think some of the seats still have that tilted "E" still on them....

[Kathleen]

I vote for Halliburtonville. For short we can refer to it as Cheneydom.

[The Slav]

or the next presidential election you can just get out and vote, then you won't have to whine for the next 4-8 years. HAHAHAHA

[Chris]

It is the University of SOUTH Florida. Not the University of Florida ss is stated in your article.

We Gators have our dome taken care of...thank you very much!

Go Gators!!!

the donnie skumfeld "shockandawedome"

the paul wolfowitz "greetadasliberatorsdome"

the gwbush "patholgociallylyingdrydrunkdome"

the dikkie chenny "i'llshootyouinthefacedome"

[Dave]

I am not opposed to the Trump Dome at all...

[Howard Troxler]

Chris, thanks for the fix -- I do know the difference a'tween 'em, just left out the "South" in my typing this morning.

[Bill]

Payola-dome

[Dave]

The "Marc Rich Buy-A-Pardon Dome?"

The "Clinton Pardons'R Us (For a Price) Dome?"

The "AlQaedacrat American Death Wish Surrenderdome?" to be later renamed the "Osama Bin Laden American Shariadome"

[USF4Ever]

The Gators Blow Chow Arena

[Bubba]

Troxler Yards

[Chris]

How about the Bagdad Dome. Maybe we can get Bush to spend a few billion to fix it up. Does Haliburton repair stadiums?

[Pea Pod]

Pootie Tang the "Shadata Dome"

[Tom]

The “Put some block on it before it burns”… Dome.

… that might piss of the thinning hair crowd though.

How about the “Dome mess with us”… Dome.

… we might need to aks for permission.

Or we could call it the “Homeless Dome”

… that would help the politicians with their 10-year plan (now 7 and counting) to end homelessness as we know it, in Pinellas. Or wait until the do it (as if) and call it the “Nobel Dome… NOT”