In St. Louis, Jennifer Mann noted former Rams equipment manager TODD HEWITT is “suing the team for his 2011 firing, claiming age discrimination.” Hewitt claims that he was “among a batch of employees over age 50 who were fired or forced into retirement after STEVE SPAGNUOLO took over as Rams coach in January 2009.” Hewitt in the suit claims that when the team “decided not to renew his contract in January 2011 … he was 10 months short of early retirement eligibility that kicks in at age 55, which would have offered extended health insurance for him and his family.” The suit “seeks unspecified damages on a claim of employment discrimination” (STLTODAY.com, 5/31).
NAMES: In Boston, Todd Wallack cites Massachusetts financial statements that note former MLBer CURT SCHILLING “posted 3,200 gold coins," worth roughly $5M, as "collateral for a loan from Bank Rhode Island in Providence" for his 38 Studios video game company (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/1)....NFL Giants DE OSI UMENYIORA has “parted ways with his agent of five years," TONY AGNONE, after he was “unable to get a new contract or a trade to another team” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 6/1)….Bears LBs LANCE BRIGGS and BRIAN URLACHER are “teaming up for a charity signing” on Friday at the Lake Barrington Field House in Illinois to benefit to BRIDGET KENNICOTT, who is “bound to a wheelchair, feeds through a tube and requires a series of medications in the morning and at night” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/1)….The SEC and its member schools are "donating $100,000 to the Pat Summit Foundation Fund to help fight Alzheimer's disease" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/1).
IN MEMORY: Basketball HOFer JACK TWYMAN passed away Wednesday at age 78. Family members said that he passed "from an aggressive form of blood cancer." Twyman played 11 NBA seasons and also worked as a TV analyst on NBA games. His "most famous work as an announcer" came in Game Seven of the '70 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Lakers when Twyman "stopped himself mid-sentence" to announce that he saw then-Knicks C WILLIS REED coming through the player tunnel (ESPN.com, 5/31).
