Names In The News

COURTHOUSE NEWS’ Joe Harris noted former UFL Virginia Destroyers coach MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER filed suit in S.F. Superior Court claiming that UFL Founder and Las Vegas Locomotives Owner BILL HAMBRECHT “owes him $2.3 million for coaching and managing.” Schottenheimer claims that Hambrecht “guaranteed him the money to entice him to join the new league as the general manager and coach for Team Virginia” (COURTHOUSENEWS.com, 10/18).

OUT OF THE GATES: In N.Y., Joe Drape notes New York Gov. ANDREW CUOMO on Thursday appointed Cornell Univ. President DAVID SKORTON as NYRA Reorganization Board Chair, completing “his takeover of horse racing in the hope of ending decades of scandal and mismanagement in an industry important to the state.” Skorton will “lead a 17-member board" that includes chef and racehorse owner BOBBY FLAY and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder JANE ROSENTHAL (N.Y. TIMES, 10/19).

ON THE REEL: Turner Sports NBA analyst CHRIS WEBBER and Dir/Producer PETER GILBERT on Thursday announced the formation of their new film production company, Webber Productions. The pair will produce a line of films and documentaries that highlight the intersection of sports, culture and society. Pre-production has begun on several projects, including an untitled documentary about the life of Webber as told by Webber (Webber Productions).

NAMES: Modell’s Sporting Goods CEO MITCH MODELL will be featured in the season premiere of CBS' “Undercover Boss,” set to air Nov. 2 (CBS)….Revised drawings for a proposed new restaurant in Oklahoma City “that will be affiliated” with Thunder F KEVIN DURANT “won unanimous praise from Urban Renewal commissioners” in Oklahoma City (OKLAHOMAN, 10/19)….South Florida-based restaurant chain Duffy’s Sports Grill announced a partnership with LAUREN TANNEHILL, wife of Dolphins QB RYAN TANNEHILL (Duffy’s)….Comcast Chair & CEO BRIAN ROBERTS has bought “an unfinished space in a luxury Philadelphia high-rise” at Rittenhouse Square (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/19)....Chesapeake Energy CEO and Thunder investor AUBREY MCLENDON appeared on CNBC's "Mad Money" Thursday night as part of the net's series "Invest in America" (THE DAILY).