Southern Univ. officials yesterday said that they are "investigating Athletic Director GREG LAFLEUR's 'embarrassing' weekend arrest on a misdemeanor prostitution count in Texas and 'will determine which action or actions are necessary.'" LaFleur was arrested at 8:30pm CT Sunday at the Final Four in Houston, where he was "seeking potential candidates for the open SU men's basketball coaching job." LaFleur was released on a $500 bond, and he is "scheduled to appear in Harris County Criminal Court on April 11." It is "unclear" how the arrest "will affect LaFleur's job status" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 4/5).
AN UNHAPPY LOOK BACK: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir noted former National League President BILL WHITE has written an autobiography, and its "very title calls attention to itself: 'UPPITY.'" White "sounds angry, sad and candid when he portrays the former commissioner FAY VINCENT as a meddler who interfered in league issues." Sandomir: "The politics of the job fatigued him. So did the owners, who also disappointed him." Sandomir noted White "responded with 10 seconds of silence" when he was asked "to assess BUD SELIG since he became full-time commissioner in 1998." White: "Well, we haven't had any strikes" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/3).
CHARITY STRIPE: Butler Univ. mascot BLUE II "helped raise more than $3,000 for a pair of charities" at the Final Four. Houston's Intercontinental hotel, "where Blue II and most Butler fans stayed during the Final Four, donated all proceeds from a new 'Blue II Martini' to Butler's Mascot Puppy Fund and the Houston SPCA, an animal protection organization and shelter" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 4/5)....The A's "generated more than $65,000 for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief" through a Heritage Day event at Sunday's game against the Mariners. The team "donated $1 from every ticket sold, and amid other fundraising functions, raised more than $10,000 through a silent auction" of A's DH HIDEKI MATSUI and Mariners RF ICHIRO SUZUKI game-worn jerseys. Suzuki's jersey raised $6,015, while Matsui's raised $4,555 (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 4/4)....A charity event held by Ravens S HARUKI NAKAMURA at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md., on Saturday "raised $60,000 for emergency relief in Japan." An "estimated crowd of 3,000 waited for hours and lined up along the lower concourse of the ... minor-league stadium in the drizzling rain." Each paid $50 to meet Ravens QB JOE FLACCO, S ED REED, RB RAY RICE, CB CHRIS CARR, DT BRANDON MCKINNEY and former WR QADRY ISMAIL. Nakamura "organized the event with the Red Cross" (Baltimore SUN, 4/3).
NAMES: FIFA President SEPP BLATTER and Asian Football Confederation President MOHAMED BIN HAMMAM are "embarking on a two-month showdown for the top job in world soccer after being the only candidates to be nominated last week" (AP, 4/4)....Knicks F CARMELO ANTHONY and C AMAR'E STOUDEMIRE will appear on an episode of PBS' "SESAME STREET" airing this fall (THE DAILY)....N.Y. Mayor MICHAEL BLOOMBERG has bought "four season tickets" for the Nets' inaugural season at Barclays Center in '12-13 (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/5)....IMG Worldwide has signed Serbian tennis player BOJANA JOVANOVSKI for management and representation (IMG)....Yankees SS DEREK JETER is renting a $15,500/month two-bedroom, three-bathroom unit at Trump World Tower (N.Y. POST, 4/5).
