In a front-page piece for the L.A. TIMES, Blankstein, Lin II & Pringle reported companies owned by former L.A. Memorial Coliseum Commission Events Manager TODD DESTEFANO received at least $1.7M "in about two years of making his own deals with firms that had business before the Coliseum Commission." That amount "far exceeds the tens of thousands of dollars previously disclosed in a widening scandal surrounding DeStefano," who resigned from his job in January. In addition, DeStefano "billed the commission last year for $1,584 in massages, was paid a $600 monthly car allowance and received $21,000 in free tickets to concerts, football games and other events at the taxpayer-owned Coliseum and Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena" (L.A. TIMES, 6/25).
YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY: In Chicago, David Haugh profiled Northern League Gary SouthShore RailCats Media Relations Manager ED MCCASKEY, son of Bears BOD member PATRICK and GRETCHEN MCCASKEY. Ed McCaskey "feels entitled to nothing as he forges his career in the sports industry." He said, "I'm definitely proud of my family, but I don't necessarily like to advertise it" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/26).
ON HIS OWN COURT: In Akron, Jason Lloyd profiled CAA agent RICH PAUL, the first "R" in Heat F LEBRON JAMES' LRMR marketing firm. Paul is "only loosely affiliated" with LRMR these days, because he is "breaking into the player-representation business" with CAA Sports. Despite the "falling out between James" and the Cavaliers last summer, "that never really trickled down to Paul." He has "always maintained a good relationship with the Cavs," and represents TRISTAN THOMPSON, whom the team picked in last week's NBA Draft. Paul said, "You have business and you have personal side. I never really got into the personal side of that (with James)" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 6/26).
NAMES: A new outdoors show starring Braves 3B CHIPPER JONES, called "MAJOR LEAGUE BOWHUNTER," debuts this week on the Sportsman Channel. Jones said, "'Major League Bowhunter' gives me a chance to branch out into one of my passions. I really want to expand upon that when I retire from baseball" (AJC.com, 6/25)....Nets Owner MIKHAIL PROKHOROV “was elected leader” of the Russian political party Right Cause on Saturday. The move marks the “first foray of a big businessman into politics” in the country in “nearly a decade” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/26)….Duke men’s basketball coach MIKE KRZYZEWSKI’s pay has “reached the $5-million-a-year level.” Only Univ. of Louisville men’s basketball coach RICK PITINO, “who is paid a base salary of more than $6 million a year, earns more, according to publicly available records” (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 6/26)….Magic G GILBERT ARENAS “filed a federal suit Thursday in Los Angeles trying to stop” his ex-fiancee, LAURA GOVAN, “from trading on his fame with a role in the latest edition” of VH1’s “BASKETBALL WIVES,” which premieres in August (WASHINGTON POST, 6/27).
IN MEMORY: SI.com’s Tom Verducci noted former USA Today MLB and NHL writer ROD BEATON, “one of the original staff members” of the newspaper when it began in ’82, passed away last week at the age of 59. Beaton “leaves behind a wife and two sons.” His “body and mind endured a long downward spiral from Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy body dementia” (SI.com, 6/24).
