Denver Mayor MICHAEL HANCOCK and Colorado Gov. JOHN HICKENLOOPER "will both be present" at Super Bowl XLVIII. Private funds are "paying for the trip for Hancock and his immediate family." Hickenlooper's Dir of Communications ERIC BROWN said that the Governor is "paying the airfare, tickets and lodging for him and his son TEDDY" (DENVER POST, 1/30). Meanwhile, N.Y. Mayor BILL DE BLASIO "will not travel" to MetLife Stadium. He said that he would "stay home to watch with his teenage son, but the decision not to buy tickets to the high-priced event and to publicly say so is in line with the image he crafted during his campaign: that he was a middle-class family man focused on fixing the city's widening income inequality" (AP, 1/31).
BRIDGING THE DIFFERENCE: New Jersey Gov. CHRIS CHRISTIE sat for an interview with FS1's Regis Philbin on Thursday and said after touring MetLife Stadium, “Everything looks great.” He noted federal and state law enforcement are “working well together.” Christie: “I think we’re just going to make everybody's focus is on nothing but the game.” He added, "I don’t understand how this is a N.Y. Super Bowl. The teams are staying in New Jersey, they’re practicing in New Jersey and at 6:30 on Sunday night, they’re kicking off in New Jersey. We’re happy to let them have dinner over here (in N.Y.), but that’s about it” (“Crowd Goes Wild,” FS1, 1/30).
SILVER SCREEN: In the upcoming film "DRAFT DAY," starring KEVIN COSTNER as the GM of the Browns, Cleveland as a city and the Browns as an organization "get draped in glory courtesy of director IVAN REITMAN." Functionally, the Browns "get painted in the best possible light," and for the team and fans that will be "a welcome reprieve from the emotional month that everyone has endured not to mention the past 18 years" (OHIO.com, 1/31).
NAMES: NFLPA Exec Dir DEMAURICE SMITH "unfurled a RUSSELL WILSON jersey" Thursday as he presented it to the Smithsonian National African American Museum. The NFLPA "makes an annual donation to the museum as well as giving uniforms from two players on each Super Bowl team." This year the museum "received uniforms" for Wilson, Seahawks CB RICHARD SHERMAN, Broncos CB CHAMP BAILEY and Broncos LB VON MILLER (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 1/31)....Former Jets employee JENN STERGER, who "blew the whistle" on former NFLer BRETT FAVRE after he allegedly sent her sexts and racy pics, had "an awkward brush" with NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL on Wednesday at Greek seafood restaurant Milos while he dined with just-retired Falcons TE TONY GONZALEZ (NYPOST.com, 1/31).
