Zurich-based Match Hospitality AG Dir RAYMOND WHELAN, who is the head of the FIFA World Cup's hospitality provider, "turned himself into Brazilian authorities" yesterday, "four days after being declared a fugitive by local police looking to arrest him in connection with an alleged ticket-scalping scam." Police said that he had "been missing since Thursday afternoon, when he left his Rio hotel through its back door just before police came to take him into custody." A court spokesperson said that Whelan "turned himself over to a judge" and has "been transferred to a police lock-up in Rio de Janeiro" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/15).
BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING: In Vancouver, Gordon McIntyre profiles Whitecaps COO RACHEL LEWIS, the "only female top executive" among MLS' 19 teams and the "only female who is a top-tier executive among Vancouver’s three professional sports teams." Whitecaps President BOB LENARDUZZI said, "In my opinion, gender shouldn’t be an issue. If you can do the job, you can do the job." Lewis "doesn't acknowledge that there is a glass ceiling, but others familiar with the business of sports do" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 7/15).
PAT DOWN: Massachusetts detectives have interviewed Patriots coach BILL BELICHICK, Owner ROBERT KRAFT and other team employees "as part of the yearlong probe" into one of former Patriots TE AARON HERNANDEZ' murder cases. Evidence in the ODIN LLOYD murder investigation "includes 33 pages of text messages between Belichick and Hernandez" from February to May of '13 (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/15)....Belichick was the co-headliner of the second annual Dreamland Gala in Nantucket. MSNBC's MIKE BARNICLE "was the host for the Q&A portion" of the event (BOSTON HERALD, 7/15).
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Former NFLer ANDREW WALTER, a candidate for the Arizona House, is "hosting an 'Evening of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Friday night at a gun club in Scottsdale." Contributors who buy the "expert package" at $1,000 each will "get 250 rounds of ammunition and the chance to fire from three weapons." Those donating $250 "get a single box of ammo for the opportunity to shoot a Glock 18, a handgun typically used by law enforcement" (USA TODAY, 7/15).
ON THE DOCKET: Former Canucks Owner ARTHUR GRIFFITHS has "avoided bankruptcy, as his creditors accepted a proposal Friday for him to pay an agreed-upon sum to settle his debts" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 7/12)....The Braves have "lost a key court ruling in a lawsuit over the foul ball that grievously injured a child at Turner Field." The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday "allowed the lawsuit, involving a 6-year-old girl whose skull was shattered by a foul ball" in '10, to "proceed toward trial" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 7/15).
NAMES: Website the Shadow League has named Time Warner Cable President of Sports, News & Local Programming DAVID RONE the recipient of its inaugural Shadow League Award For Leadership. He will be honored during a private dinner in L.A. this week held at the L'Ermitage Beverly Hills (Shadow League)....Darlington Raceway President CHIP WILE will be among several area leaders driving 3,300-pound stock cars Saturday in a celebrity competition at Dillon Motor Speedway (AP, 7/14)....SEC Network analyst TIM TEBOW last month purchased a $1.4M home in Jacksonville’s Glen Kernan Golf and Country Club (JACKSONVILLE.com, 7/14)….Former NHL coach TERRY MURRAY put his Manhattan Beach, Calif., home on the market for $2.5M (LATIMES.com, 7/14)....A’s P JEFF SAMARDZIJA on Friday sold his three-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot Chicago condo for $600,000 (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 7/14)….Steelers P ADAM PODLESH sold his five-bedroom, 4,248-square-foot Chicago home for $879,500 (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 7/14). ...CBS Sports' JENNY DELL yesterday “announced on Twitter that she got engaged” to Red Sox 3B WILL MIDDLEBROOKS (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 7/14)….Colts WR HAKEEM NICKS and SI swimsuit model ARIEL MEREDITH got engaged on Friday (NJ.com, 7/14).
IN MEMORY: Longtime motorsports announcer GARY LEE was “found dead in his Indianapolis home” yesterday at the age of 63, "likely the result of a heart attack." Lee was “synonymous with ESPN’s earliest televised events” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/15).
