Attorneys for Cowboys Owner JERRY JONES yesterday "suffered a setback ... when a judge denied their request to seal the sexual assault lawsuit against him from public view." District Court Judge DALE TILLERY said that the public’s right to transparency in the court system "generally outweighed the potentially embarrassing release of information." Tillery did "agree with a request" from Jones attorney LEVI MCCATHERN II to "issue a gag order preventing attorneys from discussing the case with reporters." It is "unclear whether the lawsuit will survive past a hearing later this month." In it, plaintiff attorney THOMAS BOWERS "must convince the judge that the case should be exempt from the five-year statute of limitations" (DALLASNEWS.com, 9/10). TWC SportsNet’s Chris McGee said, “Whether it happened or not, it’s just not a good look for the Cowboys because they are always under a microscope" (“Rome,” CBSSN, 9/11).
DELAYED TEE TIME: Three private Westchester County (N.Y.) golf clubs -- Winged Foot, Trump National and Willow Ridge -- "declined requests" from BARACK OBAMA's camp to "accommodate the president for a round of golf over the Labor Day weekend" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/11).
CHARITY STRIPE: Tigers P JOE NATHAN yesterday gave $50,000 to the Detroit Fire Department, and the money "will be split among five stations for equipment and supplies" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/11)....The Cleveland Browns Foundation "met its $100,000 goal for its auction and radio-thon" with ESPN Radio 850 to "benefit youth education and development in the region." Items "pulling in the highest bids" included a pair of tickets to Super Bowl XLIX for $6,100. Trips on the team charter and tickets to see the Browns play the Panthers and Bills also "had winning bids of $4,600 and $4,100, respectively" (CLEVELAND.com, 9/10)....Saints coach SEAN PAYTON "purchased 100 jerseys" of Bengals DT DEVON STILL after the team "announced that proceeds of his jersey sales would go toward pediatric cancer research." A source said that Payton was "moved by the story after he heard about it on the radio during his drive home on Tuesday night ... and he decided to purchase the jerseys out of his own pocket" (ESPN.com, 9/10).
NAMES: Chicago aldermen and Mayor RAHM EMANUEL yesterday welcomed the Jackie Robinson West All-Stars Little League World Series team at City Hall "to congratulate them for their U.S. championship" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 9/10)....Former Islanders Owner JOHN SPANO "has been indicted by a grand jury in Ohio on one count of theft and 44 counts of forgery" (NEWSDAY, 9/11)....Lionsgate "scored the No. 1 spot on all the charts" for the week ending Sept. 7 for its DVD release of "DRAFT DAY." The film only earned $28.2M in U.S. theaters (VARIETY.com, 9/10).
GET WELL SOON: Pro Football HOFer BART STARR "is in a hospital in Alabama recovering from what his family says was a 'mild ischemic stroke'" (GREENBAYPRESSGAZETTE.com, 9/10).
