To say that an entity, such as the Fiesta Bowl, is involved in a political scandal sounds weird… But alas, that’s what’s going on in Arizona.

Current and former employees of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl said they were encouraged to donate money to specific political candidates and were reimbursed by the bowl through bonus payments, an allegation the bowl game’s CEO denies, The Arizona Republic reported.

The newspaper reported that five current and former high-level employees of the bowl game, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they made contributions at the urging of Fiesta Bowl CEO John Junker and were reimbursed through bonus checks. Three of the five said they were reimbursed after giving to specific candidates.

These are the stories of college football you never hear about. Apparently the Fiesta Bowl is shaking in their boots over the Cotton Bowl’s move to the new Cowboys stadium. The Cotton Bowl is older and therefore has more history. It’s not too far fetched to think that the Fiesta Bowl could potentially be dropped as one of the four major bowls that rotate the national championship game in favor of the Cotton Bowl.

As is all things college football, it’s about money. Simply put, the Cowboys stadium is jaw dropping huge. This, my friends, means there are more tickets to sell. Other than the number of seats to offer, the Fiesta and Cotton Bowl are essentially even as far as the things college football officials take into consideration. The climate is perfect for championship football in Texas, just as it is in Arizona. Although, I still wouldn’t mind seeing a national championship played in the snowy north, but that’s just me…

Of course this is all hearsay. Evidence hasn’t been revealed yet. But if it’s true, then the Fiesta Bowl could be unintentionally helping the hypothetical trade with the Cotton Bowl with their dabbling into politics.

[via ESPN]