AN AMERICAN football star who took over “one of Britain’s prettiest pubs” says he is facing homelessness amid a row with its rich owners.

Lorne Sam, a former Denver Bronco from Atlanta, Georgia, became landlord of The Carington Arms in the village of Ashby Folville, near Leicester, after flying to Britain in October 2022.

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But he now says he has “lost essentially everything, on paper” amid a bitter row with the 19th century pub’s owners – The Ashby Folville Land Trust (AFLT), led by Alex Stroud.

The dispute saw Sam, 39, post an explosive message on Facebook suggesting the business was being treated differently since he took over, implying this was because he is American and black.

His post included a reply from Stroud, who very strongly denied this accusation, calling it “incredulous beyond words”.

Sam, 39, told The Athletic the owners have “completely destroyed” his business, and the local community now “flees away” from him.

The AFLT claims it is owed thousands of pounds in unpaid rent, and the trust now has a court order letting it repossess the pub and recover the money.

It has now secured an eviction order and money judgment of around £25,000 against Sam, meaning he could now in theory be evicted from the Carington Arms.

The Athletic reports that the AFLT said they will now proceed to recover possession of the pub, and consider its options in relation to enforcing the money judgment.

The pub, which has been described as one of the “prettiest” in the country, was forced to close its doors in October 2023.

Sam told The Athletic he has estimated losses of around £110,000, and has had to sell the company van to cover costs.

“Now it doesn’t matter if I stay or not, I have nothing to stay for,” he said.

Property consultant Stroud, who lives in a farmhouse beside the boozer, is a descendent of the Smith-Carington family which once owned the entire village.

Stroud’s solicitor told The Athletic that after Sam took over the tenant company occupying the pub, the AFLT worked with him “for approximately eight months to reduce the rent arrears owed by his company”.

They added: “The tenant company then decided to stop paying the rent, as well as the agreed monthly contribution to the arrears, leaving the trust with no choice but to commence the current action.”

Sam told The Athletic he accepts not paying rent since last July, but claims there had been an agreement in principle for the lease to be signed over to a new company, set up by Sam.

He also claims that amid the dispute, he offered to pay six months’ rent in return for being allowed to reopen the pub, but an agreement was never reached.

The pub had been forced to close in October 2023 after designated premises supervisor (DPS) Catherine Kersey resigned.

She had responsibility for running the business and authorising the sale of alcohol.

Sam needed Stroud and the AFLT to apply to appoint a replacement, but court proceedings were already underway by that point.

The Carington Arms was not able to legally sell alcohol without a DPS, so the pub was forced to close.

On November 5 last year, Sam posted the Facebook message with screenshots of conversations with AFLT members, including Stroud, and the land management company’s estate agent.

He writes in one of those emails that rent payments had been “shorted monthly for an extended period of time” while the business was managed by the previous owners.

Sam says he took over as director and owner on January 9th, 2023, and “within weeks it was suddenly brought to my attention that the previous owners… were not current on rent payments”.

Sam added: “Essentially the only thing that changed was who was running the business at this point and that is where I have found that the treatment of the previous owners was drastically different than the treatment of myself and ultimately has been unfair.”

He goes on: “It is absolutely clear the company has been treated differently since my taking over, so I have listed the only things that have changed.

“The first difference is that I am American, and the second is that I am Black.”

Stroud strongly denied this allegation, writing: “Any suggestions of you being treated differently is incredulous beyond words.

“Any suggestions of you being treated differently because of the colour of your skin or nationality is deeply offensive, massively upsetting and ludicrous.

“We have friends of all different races and from all over the world.”

He also wrote: “We have explained very clearly that the previous rents not being paid were an oversight, and have absolutely nothing to do with you being treated differently.

“We have explained that at the time that new Trustees were being appointed, and only until recently have we had access to the particular Trust’s bank account.”

He later adds: “We have tried so hard to be as supportive as we can, whether it be an insight on local thoughts, as well as paying ourselves for the drive to be smartened up with lavender, the floors in the men’s loo to be re-done, new pipework in the loos, and of course, the whole of the perimeter of the pub to be re-fenced.

“I am therefore lost for words.

“All we wanted is to move forward, be supportive, and be proud of what we own and what you are going to achieve.”

In November last year, the case was heard in court, and a pathway to trial was set.

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