Thomas decides to try new league

At a press conference in the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center two months ago, Southern Indoor Football League President Thom Hager and Houma Conquerors owner Thomas Franklin Jr. were all smiles, discussing how the team and league would prosper together with the addition of local marketing firm Louisiana Sports and Entertainment Group (LSE).

Today, the relationship is nonexistent.

Thomas, who runs the team’s nonprofit parent company Conquest Sports with his wife Lenora, has severed ties with the SIFL and plans to take the Conquerors to another league next year.

Thomas accused Hager of disclosing Conquest Sports’ private financial data to LSE in secret meetings held before it was brought on to market the team.

“Our financial condition and other matters were discussed at those meetings that we consider a breach of contract,” Thomas asserted. “I signed a confidentiality agreement back in November with the league that financial information would be kept private. The terms of that contract have been violated.”

Hager and LSE co-owner Travis Carrell denied both charges. They insisted Thomas is attempting to blame others for the Conquerors’ financial predicament.

“Not once did the SIFL disclose financial information on Conquest Sports to Louisiana Sports and Entertainment without Franklin’s knowledge,” Carrell responded. “When someone fails and they fail horribly, they look for a scapegoat.”

Thomas also claimed LSE broke a verbal agreement to give Conquest Sports 85 percent of all sponsorship revenue generated. He said he hasn’t received any money from sponsorship deals.

“You can’t just take the money, pay the players yourself and we never see (the money). That’s illegal,” Thomas said.

But Carrell countered that Conquest Sports was to get sponsorship money after LSE recovered the expenses it paid.

LSE collected $14,200 in sponsorships, according to Carrell, and spent more than three times that amount on player payroll, bus travel, marketing, game officials and other expenses.

“We originally agreed to a $12,000 advertising budget, but they didn’t have the money. We fronted that money while waiting for sponsorships to come in,” Carrell explained. “We even picked up over $2,100 in NSF (non-sufficient fund) checks from Conquest Sports.”

Prior to the split, Hager and Thomas had been in a month-long dispute over the Conquerors’ ownership status.

Last month, the SIFL announced it had taken control of the Conquerors franchise and declared that Thomas was in default for not paying league fees and membership dues since April.

Without giving a specific amount, Hager estimated Thomas paid roughly 20 percent of the league dues and membership fees.

Thomas has hired Nashville-based attorney Williams Wooten to challenge the default status. Thomas said he and Wooten had not decided if legal action will be taken.

News of Thomas’ decision to leave the SIFL caught many by surprise since he had not been in communication with league officials for several months or the Conquerors team since their season- ending loss in the SIFL playoffs on July 20.

“It’s obvious he’s embarrassed by his failure as an owner,” Hager said. “The SIFL gave him a chance to enter a professional football league. We stretched his payments and he abdicated his responsibilities and stopped making payments. How can anybody give this guy any more credibility? Hasn’t he done enough to the Houma market?”

Conquerors head coach and Player Personnel Director C.J. Maiden said he was “shocked” about the team parting ways with the SIFL.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “Hopefully, Houma will get another team because I think I still have some years left in me to coach.”

Conquest Sports has had financial difficulty since their inaugural season began in April.

Most Conquerors players and coaches received at least one NSF check from the organization during the season. While Thomas insisted it was a one-time “accounting error,” the worthless checks occurred over a one month period and with different bank accounts.

Several Conquerors team members, including Maiden, said Conquest Sports still owes them money for the 2009 season.

“I only got two or three checks early in the season. They still owe me about $7,000,” Maiden claimed.

Thomas admitted his organization had less than $6,500 in debts but could not specify to whom it owed money.

Conquest Sports also did not own most of the game equipment used during the season. LSE bought the dasher boards, which protect the players from the fans, some of the dasher pads and sponsor signs. Maiden donated the Astroturf field.

Despite the first year shortcomings, Thomas said there are two independent indoor football leagues interested in having the Conquerors join in 2010. He won’t reveal the interested leagues.

Thomas plans to begin negotiating another lease with the civic center in the coming weeks.

“We lasted the whole year. A lot of people didn’t think we’d make it,” Thomas said. “I think we did okay. I made a lot of mistakes and there are some things we need to correct. I haven’t denied that. We haven’t run from anything that was our mistake, but we’ve moved on.”

Hager is seeking owners for a new SIFL team in Houma. He has talked with several prospects, including LSE founders Carrell, Kirk Bonvillain and Tate Boudreaux.

“I’m coming into Houma, and I’m coming into Houma strong,” Hager declared. “Houma has the best fans in the league. There’s no need to let those people down.”

All the parties involved don’t expect Houma to have two indoor football teams occupying the civic center next year.

“There will be only one team playing in the civic center and that’s going to be us,” Thomas insisted. “We paid our rent. We’re in good standing with the civic center.”

“It’s up to the community who they’ll support,” Carrell said. “The SIFL is the best fit for Houma as a market and for travel. You think another league is going to want (Thomas)? Leagues don’t want weak teams or weak owners.

They want teams that are going to survive.”

Houma Conquerors’ fans get a high five from defensive back Derrick Byrd. With the Conquerors leaving the SIFL, will Houma have two indoor football teams to root for in 2010? * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF