A few NFL owners "reached out" to former Florida Gov. JEB BUSH in '06 about him becoming NFL Commissioner. Asked if he had been offered the job, Bush said, "Yes, it's kind of true actually." But he added, "It's not as easy as a job as it might have appeared. ... It took me about 10 minutes after the flattery of a couple of calls from owners to realize that this is just not possible" (POLITICO.com, 2/4).
ESTATE PLANNING: A Texas judge on Thursday tapped former San Antonio Mayor PHIL HARDBERGER and estate lawyer ART BAYERN to oversee Saints and Pelicans Owner TOM BENSON's "family assets in Texas, after two days of court testimony and meetings in the feud over who should have control." Hardberger is "known to many Saints fans as the San Antonio mayor who after Hurricane Katrina publicly courted the team to move permanently and play at the Alamodome" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/6).
FACING OFF: Four Univ. of Iowa field hockey players "have filed a federal civil rights complaint alleging their Title IX rights were violated when the UI fired coach TRACEY GRIESBAUM in August." The players "lodged the complaint Jan. 28 with the U.S. Department of Education." The complaint reads in part, "To fire female coaches for using coaching methods that are exactly the same as methods used by male coaches is gender discrimination" (Cedar Rapids GAZETTE, 2/6). ESPNW.com's Kate Fagan wrote under the header, "Why The Iowa Field Hockey Title IX Complaint Is A Huge Deal" (ESPNW.com, 2/5).
NAMES: FanDuel CEO NIGEL ECCLES, DraftKings CEO JASON ROBINS and Sportech President of Digital RICH ROBERTS were named to The Gaming Intelligence's Hot 50 list (THEGIA.com, 2/5)....Steelers DE BRETT KIESEL "shaved his beard" on Thursday, raising more than $67,000 for the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (ESPN.com, 2/5)....NASCAR driver KYLE BUSCH attended Thursday's Hurricanes-Coyotes game and mingled with Coyotes RW SHANE DOAN to "promote the upcoming NASCAR season," which begins Feb. 22 with the Daytona 500 (AZCENTRAL.com, 2/5)....Seahawks CB RICHARD SHERMAN and girlfriend ASHLEY MOSS welcomed a baby boy on Thursday (SEATTLETIMES.com, 2/5).
