In L.A., David Wharton noted former U.S. speedskater NIKKI MEYER "came forward with allegations" that former U.S. Speedskating President ANDY GABEL "raped her when she was 15 and he was in his mid-20s." USOC Chair LARRY PROBST and CEO SCOTT BLACKMUN said that they had "been in discussions with U.S. Speedskating over charting that organization's future." Blackmun said, "On the sexual abuse thing, that's an issue not just in speedskating, but in sport, and not just in sport but in society in general" (LATIMES.com, 3/8).
HONORS & AWARDS: ESPN NFL analyst BILL POLIAN on Saturday at the '13 Touchdown Club of New Orleans awards banquet received the Pete Rozelle Award (NOLA.com, 3/10)....Around 1,800 people turned out at the CenturyLink Center Omaha to honor former Nebraska AD TOM OSBORNE. The event was "a fundraiser for two projects dear to Osborne: his TeamMates mentoring program and a new research facility that is part of Nebraska's East Stadium expansion" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 3/10)....The Bruins honored 12-year-old fan NICK CLAUDIO with the first Cam Neely Award for Courage at the Tufts Working Wonders Benefit (BOSTON HERALD, 3/10).
REAL ESTATE REPORT: Former NFLer RAY LEWIS "put his West Palm Beach property on the market," asking $5M for the seven-bedroom, 6,700-square-foot estate (BALTIMORESUN.com, 3/8)....Golfer BUBBA WATSON bought a house in Orlando's Isleworth community that was formerly owned by TIGER WOODS. Watson said, "We closed last summer and we're moving in next Thursday or Friday." He will "join several Orlando-based Tour pros, including GRAEME MCDOWELL, IAN POULTER and JUSTIN ROSE" (GOLF.com, 3/8)....Dodgers P JOSH BECKETT sold his condo at the Boston Ritz Carlton for $2.8M -- "much less" than the $3.2M the property "was listed for when it hit the market last August" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/9).
NAMES: Rock band the GOO GOO DOLLS will headline a concert the day before the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course (BALTIMORESUN.com, 3/8)....Heat coach ERIK SPOELSTRA is dating former Heat dancer NIKKI SAPP (MIAMIHERALD.com, 3/10)....Fox NFL analyst MICHAEL STRAHAN and rapper 50 CENT on Saturday "passed through the private Calvin Klein Courtside Club VIP at Barclays Center before watching boxer BERNARD HOPKINS beat TAVORIS CLOUD." Meanwhile, tennis player VENUS WILLIAMS and a "mini entourage did some light shopping at the Dream Downtown Hotel's Safira Boutique" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 3/11)....Bruins D ANDREW FERENCE was named one of the Boston Globe's "25 Most Stylish Bostonians" for '13 (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/9)....The China Golf Association appointed GREG NORMAN its advisory coach to the national team. Norman will "help develop a golf program and identify China's best players" for the '16 Rio Olympics (AP, 3/8)....The Red Sox Foundation announced a new license plate program in Connecticut. The vanity plates will feature the hanging socks logo and help fund a college scholarship program to be established by the Red Sox Foundation for Connecticut public high school students (Red Sox)....Charlotte-based broadcaster CHUCK HOWARD is helping market NASCAR driver ROBBY GORDON's "Stadium Super Truck Series," an NBC Sports project with off-road pickup trucks running in 12 NFL stadiums beginning April 6 (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 3/11).
