DePaul Reportedly Rejects United Center Proposal

The owners of the United Center are reportedly pulling out all the stops, including offering a decade of free rent, to lure DePaul University to its arena, according to a Sun-Times Media Report. 

But the bait hasn't yet worked, the report says. University officials swatted down the offer Monday and opted to continue weighing their options, according to the article, noting that they could play Blue Demons basketball near McCormick Place in a yet-to-be-built stadium that's been mentioned by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The men behind the deal are reportedly Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, as well as Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, the story says, referring to the proposal as "very lucrative."

The Sun-Times Media reports:

"The details of the plan, which were first reported by Crain’s Chicago Business, revolve around giving the largest Catholic university in the country free rent to play at the United Center for the next decade, a source familiar with the plan told the Sun-Times.

But DePaul spokeswoman Cindy Lawson said she was unaware of any offer to the university that would free it from having to pay rent to use the United Center.

"I saw Father Dennis Holtschneider, the president of DePaul, and I said to him today, ‘What can you tell me? ‘Have we really been offered a proposal for free rent?’” she said. “And his comment was wouldn’t that be nice, to get a free-rent proposal?"

Other perks included a Blue Demons logo at center court, championship banners on the ceiling, use of the NBA locker rooms, ticket sales at the arena, and more.

For the full story, be sure to check out the Sun-Times Media report in its entirety.

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