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Local Movie Theater Won't Play Packers Game

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Local Movie Theater Won't Play Packers Game

By Jay Olstad

WHITEFISH BAY - The NFL is cracking down on movie theaters showing Packers games on the big screen. The Fox Bay Cinema Grill in Whitefish Bay was planning to show the Packers playoff game Saturday, but they decided to throw in the towel after the NFL threatened them with a lawsuit. The owner of the theater received a letter from the NFL this week ordering him not to show the Packers game, and although he feels he has a legal leg to stand on, he doesn't have the money to. "It wasn't worth going up against the 800 pound Gorilla," said Brian Henry, owner of the Fox Bay Cinema Grill. He had planned to show the Packers game on the silver screen Saturday, but like Marcus Cinemas before him, he says the game has been pulled. "The bottom line is nobody is getting hurt over this and there are no copy right issues that I or my attorney can see. I'm not in the position to throw money at this thing," said Henry. "This is nothing new. We're just following the copyright laws," said NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy. "We don't do this to make money. We have to take our movies down. We have to rearrange the schedule. We do this so the community can get together and watch the game together," said Henry. Meantime, Henry claims he'll probably have to turn away about 100 people Saturday because he was not able to pull all the advertising in time.