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Robin Hood in reverse: In his final weeks, ousted state convention center czar held secret discussions on whether to move two major Basketball Hall of Fame events from struggling Springfield to Boston
What in the world was this man thinking?
Marcel Vernon Sr., the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s first Black CEO, was forced out after a little more than a year by the authority’s 13-member board.
Vernon lobbed some flimsy corruption allegations as he walked out the door last December with a $500,000 severance package. He also claimed MCCA’s board, which includes three women of color, “brushed aside” his concerns over the treatment of minority job applicants.
Apparently, in his final weeks, the state’s $330,000 state convention center chief was a busy man, working secretly on a potentially explosive deal to move Springfield’s two most successful events out of the struggling city, according to records obtained by Contrarian Boston.
It’s not clear what, if anything the 13-member MCCA board knew of Vernon’s work exploring a potential move of two big basketball events from Springfield, where the sport got its start, to Boston. But had it leaked, the news would have sparked a backlash and a major headache for Gov. Maura Healey’s reelection campaign.
Nor is it clear that the state authority’s board - made up of a collection of business and civic leaders for whom this is a part-time, unpaid position - was fully aware of the $42,000 that the state convention center chief spent on deluxe trips to hot spots ranging from London to Las Vegas, which Contrarian Boston first reported.
Or, for that matter, the $4,100 Vernon spent on lavish meals in Boston and on his many travels, a story that the dogged Colman M. Herman breaks in a separate story in today’s edition of Contrarian Boston.
But Vernon’s secret deal making and out of control spending on travel and meals – double what the authority had budgeted for the year – shed light on a pattern of behavior that appears likely to have raised concerns among MCCA board members, and may have eased the way for his ouster.
John Doleva, CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, lays out the details of the discussions in a Nov. 12 email to Vernon and Milt Herbert, executive director of the Boston Convention Marketing Center.
Doleva mentions discussions with Vernon about moving the Hoophall Classic and Jr. Hoophall, two major annual events, out of Springfield, and to Boston.
The Hoophall Classic is a multiday event that draws the top high school basketball players from around the country. There are a long list of well-known NBA players, like Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who played at the event over the years.
Last year, the five-day event drew more than 11,000 people while pumping $10 million into Springfield hotels, restaurants and other establishments, according to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
In his email, Doleva, the Basketball Hall of Fame CEO, was concerned that the event was growing beyond the capacity of Springfield and its infrastructure to handle it.
“The event here in Springfield is a major economic driver to the hotels and other ancillary venues (colleges, restaurants, other attractions, etc.) but we are on the very cusp of—or beyond—the infrastructure needed to grow and accommodate demand,” Doleva wrote.
He swore Vernon, and presumably Herbert - though it’s not clear how involved he was - to absolute secrecy, calling it a “super sensitive topic.”
“Our two organizations are at the very beginning stages of a ‘what if’ and any information that ‘leaks’ back to Springfield at this early stage would put us in a negative situation when indeed there might not be a ‘Boston solution,’” Doleva writes.
To seal the deal, Doleva sent along a non disclosure agreement for Vernon and Herbert to sign. It’s not clear whether anyone signed the NDA - the copy that Contrarian Boston examined did not include signatures.
“Suffice to say there was nothing ‘there’ in the end as we have signed an extension to hold the event at Springfield College through 2028 with a three year extension opportunity beyond that time,” Doleva said in response to questions from Contrarian Boston.
But there is more to the story. As he discussed a controversial deal with the Basketball Hall of Fame to move the two major events out of Springfield, Vernon accepted three or maybe four tickets to a coveted college game put on at the TD Garden on Nov. 15 as part of a Hall of Fame event.
