An Arizona Wildcats event originally scheduled for a brewery on Mill Avenue will be relocated to another venue following complaints from Arizona State Sun Devils fans.
As part of its annual Arizona Athletics Road Tour across the state, the Wildcats announced Monday that they will make a stop in Tempe -- specifically, Pedal Haus Brewery, located less than a mile from ASU campus -- the evening of Monday, May 21. New UA football coach Kevin Sumlin and athletic director Dave Heeke were among the guests advertised to attend and address the crowd during the free event.
But on Tuesday, Pedal Haus Brewery confirmed that the Wildcats are now looking for another Valley venue following complaints from ASU fans and alumni. Instead, the event will take place at Social Tap at 4312 N Brown Ave. in Scottsdale beginning at 5:30 p.m. on May 21. Sumlin and Heeke, along with several other UA head coaches, will be in attendance. The event is free, and attendees can RSVP here.
🚨Slight change of plans🚨
Arizona Athletics is [[still]] heading to Phoenix for the Road Tour! 🚙🚗
Hang with Dave Heeke, Kevin Sumlin, John Court, and Dave Rubio📆: May 21
📌: Social TapRSVP: https://t.co/2w6P5U6Hh7 pic.twitter.com/06tyaYUkVn
— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) May 8, 2018
Pedal Haus Brewery owner Julian Wright said he was approached about the event by a third party and was unaware the event was UA-related until learning about it through social media. Once Wright, an ASU alum, learned that information and received complaints from fellow Sun Devil fans, Pedal Haus made the decision to cancel the event.
"Our commitment is to ASU. Always has been and always will be," Wright said. "We’re big fans and big supporters of the university and the sports program."
Pedal Haus Brewery general manager Dan Regan said the scheduled UA event "was in preliminary phases" until late Monday.
"Pedal Haus Brewery is first and foremost an avid advocate of Arizona State University Athletics, Education and Alumni. We value our mutual endorsement and look forward to being involved with the Sun Devils for many years to come," Regan said in an email. "Because of our pride in, and proximity to, ASU, an event of this nature with the University of Arizona is in direct contradiction to our personal and professional views. The decision was made to not host this event because of this contradiction. I apologize to our fans and fans of Arizona State University over the confusion in this matter."
UA hosts several "Road Tour" events across the state each year, including an annual stop in the Valley. Last year's Valley visit took place at Culinary Dropout in Tempe. Heeke, UA men's basketball coach Sean Miller and then-head football coach Rich Rodriguez were in attendance.
This isn't the first time this year that UA has attempted to promote itself in the heart of ASU territory. In January, a series of billboards welcoming Sumlin to Arizona were featured throughout the Phoenix area, including one near Sun Devil Stadium.
