Cavaliers F LEBRON JAMES "is helping about 800 children from his hometown graduate from high school one day -- kids who otherwise might have ended up on the streets." James through his LeBron James Family Foundation "developed a mentoring program, called Wheels For Education, to help kids beginning in the third grade -- identified as 'at risk' of dropping out." James' program is "in its fourth year and has grown to 800 students." He "won't know until 2021 -- the year the first class graduates -- if the program is truly doing what it's intended to do, but early results are promising." The foundation "spent about $305,000 on the program in 2012 -- the last year in which financial data is available" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 10/30).
CAROLINA BLUES: PR firm Edelman, hired by the Univ. of North Carolina to help with the "long-running academic-athletic scandal" and other communications efforts, has "billed the school $782,000." UNC Vice Chancellor of Communications & Public Affairs JOEL CURRAN said that Edelman "began working for UNC in May as part of a revamping of the university's communications efforts." Edelman "identifies itself as the world's largest" PR firm. The school had "previously spent $500,000 on public relations efforts related to the scandal," including $144,000 paid to former White House advisor and NBA Senior VP/Strategic & Corporate Communications DOUG SOSNIK. UNC spokesperson RICK WHITE in an e-mail wrote that Edelman "is not being paid from taxpayer-supported funds." (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 10/30).
CLOSING THE CASE: ESPN's CURT SCHILLING and three other former execs of 38 Studios "have reached a proposed financial settlement in the federal bankruptcy case of the defunct Providence videogame company." Documents show that the lawyer handling the case for 38 Studios in Delaware "agreed to accept $300,000, in total, from the insurance company that covered the quartet of 38 Studios’ executives to settle financial claims against them." The proposed payment "falls far short of millions of dollars Rhode Island taxpayers would pay if the state honors the bonds sold to back the company’s short-lived operation in Providence" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 10/30).
SCREEN PLAYS: Actor and former NFLer MATT WILLIG "will be suiting up in an NFL uniform for the first time since retiring" in '05, "joining WILL SMITH" in Scott Free Productions' untitled drama about concussions in the NFL (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/29)....Knicks F CARMELO ANTHONY made an “out-of-nowhere cameo on ‘SONS OF ANARCHY,’ playing a henchman in a grizzly scene from the FX drama’s final season” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/30)....Bravo’s “TOP CHEF” this week featured Fenway Park, and contestants were “tasked with making a dish inspired by concession-stand snacks” (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/30).
NAMES: Stars Owner TOM GAGLARDI "will be sentenced next month for damaging a fish habitat during renovations to his vacation property" in Kamloops, B.C. He is "scheduled to learn his fate on Dec. 12" (CP, 10/29)....Former Islanders exec STEPHEN WALSH yesterday "was hit with a maximum 20-year sentence" for $50M in fraud, "but in an unusual move, the judge delayed imposing it to let stunned defense lawyers consider trying to void Walsh's guilty plea" (NEWSDAY, 10/30)....Vikings OT MATT KALIL on Tuesday opened a Pieology Pizzeria location in St. Paul. He owns Pieology Pizzeria franchise rights for all of Minnesota and “plans to open multiple locations in coming years” (TWINCITIES.com, 10/29)....LLWS P MO’NE DAVIS will be “gracing the pages” of the November issue of Teen Vogue (ESPNW.com, 10/29)....T'Wolves F ANDREW WIGGINS purchased a 6,000-square-foot home in Minneapolis for $1.625M (L.A. TIMES, 10/30)....Alibaba Group Founder & Chair JACK MA attended Rockets-Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday along with WME/IMG co-CEOs ARI EMANUEL and PATRICK WHITESELL, and actor JET LI (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/29).
RUNNING WILD: Are you or someone you know in the sports business industry running in Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon? If so, contact Alex Silverman at asilverman@sportsbusinessdaily.com and let him know. Then on Monday, send him your time, a photo and a quick note about the experience to share with our readers.
