According to Mr. Howson, he felt that he needed to be honest about the situation. Why suddenly he needed to be honest when this had all been known to him since at least the time fans were protesting outside of Nationwide Arena is unclear.
Rick Nash then met with the press the following day and informed them that he did in fact request that the team consider trading them for the good of the team and apparently the fans who have cheered him on his whole career. It doesn't take a polygraph test to tell that neither Mr. Howson nor Mr. Nash are being forthright with us each for their own reasons.
We here at F.A.N.S. prefer to be more direct. This week we're going to once again give voice to the Blue Jackets fans and let them have their say on the future of the franchise. Just as we opened the mic during the fan protest to any fan with the courage to speak their mind, we're going to open the mic again - and this time, we're turning all the knobs to 11.
We heard you loud and clear last Tuesday at the game. Nationwide Arena's security seemed to have noted too, as they attempted to remove one PSL holder with a sign that read "Go Nash Go - Take Howson With You". You can see them taking a look at his handiwork and calling for backup in the picture below.
The picture summarizes the season in a nutshell. The team's star in the foreground, with a fed-up fan in the background, being watched closely by those carrying out the orders of Mike Priest. The fan in question, Roger, later met-up with some of the members of F.A.N.S. who gave him a gift - his very own #OperationStinger t-shirt.
About that time, a fan was being chased by security in the upper bowl with another anti-Howson sign as the crowd cheered him on. This led to some investigative journalism by Lori Schmidt the following day to clear up the policy on signs at future Jackets games. Lori spoke with Ryan Holtman, the Jackets Manager of Communications, who stated:
“Someone simply holding up a sign is fine as long as it isn’t profane, overtly inappropriate or too big."
We at F.A.N.S. intend to hold them to their word. We think that all Jackets fans have the right to be heard. As such, we're going to be making several announcements this week, starting with a bombshell every bit as big as the one dropped at last week's press conference. We can tell you this much - we will have a presence at all remaining Jackets home games. As they say, stay tuned....
