During the first quarter of yesterday's Lakers-Magic
game on NBC, Jim Gray reported, "NBC Sports has learned that
Converse shoe company has canceled [its] contract with
Dennis Rodman." Gray added that Rodman was "reportedly due"
$3M, but said Converse "has terminated that contract due to
breach of contract involving terms of behavior, number of
games and not having a deal in time. I asked Dennis about
it before the game. He acknowledged it. He said he will
contest it. He thinks its unfair. But he lost $3 million"
("NBA on NBC," 3/22). After the game, Rodman told Howard
Beck of the L.A. DAILY NEWS, "Converse wants to kind of
screw me and take my money like everybody else wants to
screw me and take my money" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/22).
HIS SHOW GOES ON: Rodman sat down with NBC's Jim Gray
for a pregame interview, where he was asked if he had a
drinking problem. Rodman: "I have no more of a drinking
problem than anybody else in this world has a problem
smoking or anything that they do" (NBC, 3/21). Meanwhile,
NEWSDAY's Greg Logan reported that Jack Tiernan, an
assistant to Rodman's former agent Dwight Manley, "has
charged that Rodman's new ICM agents and some of their other
clients have been partying with him." Tiernan: "Dwight
invested in people around him who took care of him. The
people who say they are representing him now are starstruck
by him. There's a layer of yes-men, Hollywood people, who
want to exploit him commercially and financially and don't
care about the personal ramifications" (NEWSDAY, 3/21).
IS THE ACT OLD? NBC's Peter Vecsey, on "NBA Showtime"
said, "I think it's such a sad commentary that the media
gives him the attention that he wants at all times. We're
all caught up in this, we're all being exploited. NBC's
only the latest one. He's the pied-piper of impropriety,
and we're just following him around" ("NBA Showtime," 3/21).
