Status of Hank Aaron statue in question as Braves prepare to move

(Braves) We know for sure that the Atlanta Braves will be moving to SunTrust Park in Cobb County for the 2017 season. What we don’t for sure is whether or not the bronze statue of Hank Aaron that currently stands in front of Turner Field will be joining them.

According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report from early Wednesday, the head of the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority claimed to have uncovered documents proving the statue is owned by the authority, meaning it would remain in the city of Atlanta after the Braves’ departure.

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“We were able to work out an agreement with the Braves. We are very excited about it,” Keisha Lance Bottoms, the executive director of the authority was quoted as saying in that story.

Those newly uncovered documents, if proven valid, would bring closure to a dispute that had been slowly building since the Braves announced their new ballpark back in 2013. However, the Braves have since released a statement disputing Bottoms’ claims and making it sound as though this is anything but case closed.

“We were surprised by the release from Keisha Lance Bottoms as we do not have an agreement regarding the Hank Aaron statue. We believe the statue should be located wherever Hank Aaron would like it to go and we have stated this position to Ms. Bottoms. The Braves organization is committed to respecting his wishes and we are hopeful that Ms. Bottoms has this same position. We are in discussions with Hank, and once he makes his intentions clear to us, we will make the appropriate arrangements. Regardless, we will honor Hank and his legacy with the Braves in a significant way at SunTrust Park. Hank is and will always be a treasure to us and our community.”

Bob Hope, a longtime Atlanta marketing and public relations figure who played a key role in making the statue a reality, echoed the Braves surprise. Hope told the Journal-Constitution he was surprised to learn that such a document existed, and maintained the belief that Aaron owned the statue’s rights, not the Braves or the authority.

(AP) Unless the Braves review and are satisfied by the documents, it appears this dispute will pick up even more steam in the weeks and months ahead and likely up in a courtroom.

It’s kind of shame that it might come down to that, but there are likely hard feelings on both sides that go beyond the statue. The Braves and the authority were unable to reach an agreement on the team’s 20-year lease at Turner Field, which expires after the 2016 season, and the Braves rather abruptly made the decision to move on and rebuild.

There’s no doubt that’s at the heart of this matter, and there’s no doubt Fulton County officials would like to salvage something form that relationship given their history. Hank Aaron may be the greatest symbol of that relationship and that history.

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With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what documents show and what it will mean. Beyond that though, it would be interesting to see which way Hank Aaron would lean if given a say on the matter.

Stay tuned to this story. It could be interesting.

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