WITHOUT A TRACE: CBS SportsLine's Len Pasquarelli wrote
that "in the wake of the" TANK BLACK investigation, agents
are "becoming more conniving than ever in illegally
recruiting college players and covering their tracks." NFL
execs and "several" colleges say that agents "are now using
veteran league clients to pay for illegal trips." The agent
will have the veteran "charge illegal trips, hotel stays,
meals and other entertainment on his own credit card," in
order to avoid "creating a paper trail that leads back to
the agent." The agent then repays the veteran by deducting
the cost of the entertainment from the commission the
veteran owes him (CBS SportsLine, 7/18).
MORE NAMES: NEWSWEEK lists a sampling of high-profile
contributors to Presidential campaigns based upon FEC
records. Broncos RB TERRELL DAVIS has contributed to VP AL
GORE; former MLB Commissioner PETER UEBERROTH and Capitals
co-Owner TED LEONSIS to BILL BRADLEY and Reds Minority
Partner CARL LINDNER and Cowboys QB TROY AIKMAN to TX Gov.
GEORGE W. BUSH (NEWSWEEK, 7/26 issue)....In Denver, John
Henderson profiled agent SCOTT BORAS, and wrote "depending
on whether you're a client or critic, Scott Boras rules
either the North Pole or the third circle of hell." Agent
CRAIG FENECH, on Boras: "I think he's been good for baseball
and our business in general. He's not as good as he thinks
he's been. But I'd give him a net plus" (DENVER POST,
7/19)....The DOUG FLUTIE JR. FOUNDATION FOR AUTISM reached
its $1M goal last week with donations from Marino Lookout
Farm and Fleet Bank (The Giving Back Fund).....X Games
stunt-bicycling gold medalist DAVE MIRRA appeared on the
"Late Show" and performed stunts outside the studio. CBS's
David Letterman, on the X Games: "Whoever came up with the
idea for the X Games is a genius in my book because sooner
or later ... the X Games are going to replace traditional
sporting events like the Olympics" ("Late Show,"
7/19)....CNBC's Mike Hegedus profiled South Beach Beverages
(SoBe) CEO and former NLFP exec JOHN BELLO and said that
SoBe has grown by 400% over the last three years with
"estimated sales near" $200M this year (CNBC, 7/19).
