Broncos Corporate Partnerships Coordinator JOHN BOWLEN JR., the son of team Owner PAT BOWLEN, was "arrested Wednesday night on domestic violence charges after he allegedly pushed his girlfriend against a bathroom wall" in Glendale, Colo. Bowlen is a candidate to "take over the team after his father, who is suffering from Alzheimer's." The Broncos have placed Bowlen "on an indefinite leave of absence, per NFL protocol" (DENVER POST, 6/5).
THE HORSE'S MOUTH: American Pharoah Owner AHMED ZAYAT "got a significant victory Thursday when a judge in U.S. District Court in Newark dismissed a lawsuit against him" claiming he owed $1.65M in "offshore gambling debts to a former acquaintance." The suit, "brought by convicted gambler HOWARD RUBINSKY, who claimed Zayat owed him money he had advanced him for gambling bets placed at the Tradewinds offshore casino" in '03, was "dismissed on the grounds that it had been filed after New Jersey’s statute of limitations had expired" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/5). The N.Y. TIMES' Joe Drape in a front-page piece profiles Zayat, one of the "most successful and controversial owners in thoroughbred racing." His associations with bookmakers, as well as some of his business practices, "have resulted in myriad legal proceedings, some of which have caught the attention of state racing regulators." In a sport "long populated with outsize characters," Zayat has "become a gargantuan one by combining an old-fashioned lust for betting with a new-age mastery of social media" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/5).
THE GIVING TREE: Tampa-based real estate investment firm Concorde Companies President & CEO RICHARD CORBETT gave Notre Dame two gifts totaling $35M that will "endow the head football coaching position and fund one of the new buildings at Notre Dame Stadium." He gave $25M "toward the new anthropology, psychology and digital media building," and the remaining $10M will "create an endowment to fund the head football coaching position. The gift "will make BRIAN KELLY the first Corbett Family Head Football Coach" (SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE, 6/5)....In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, NASCAR driver JEFF GORDON has personally committed to matching all funds raised -- up to $100,000 -- through JGCF Kick-It events held during the month of September (JGI Racing)....NFL Jets coach TODD BOWLES, Rams coach JEFF FISHER, former NFL coach MIKE SHANAHAN and NBC figure skating analyst SCOTT HAMILTON are among those “raising money to help feed people undergoing cancer treatment in honor” of late NFL offensive coordinator MIKE HEIMERDINGER. The fourth annual Drive 4 Dinger celebrity golf tournament “features a kickoff dinner and auction Friday night with golf Saturday at Gaylord Springs Golf Links” in Nashville (AP, 6/5).
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| Smoltz was honored at CSE HQ in Atlanta |
NAMES: Baseball HOF-elect JOHN SMOLTZ on Thursday night was honored at the Atlanta HQ of CSE. Guests included Baseball HOFer TOM GLAVINE, former MLBer DALE MURPHY, TNT's ERNIE JOHNSON, comedian JEFF FOXWORTHY and Braves President JOHN SCHUERHOLZ (CSE)....NHL Kings radio broadcaster NICK NICKSON on Thursday was announced as the '15 winner of the Foster Hewitt award "for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster." TSN's BOB MCKENZIE "won the Elmer Ferguson award for excellence in hockey journalism." The awards are "voted on by the NHL Broadcasters' Assn. and the Professional Hockey Writers' Assn., respectively." Each will be honored "with a plaque that will be displayed in the media section" of the Hockey HOF (LATIMES.com, 6/4)....ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER will be the “honorary pace car driver” for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 28 at Sonoma Raceway to promote the July 1 premiere of “TERMINATOR GENISYS” (NBCSPORTS.com, 6/4)....Knicks Assistant GM ALLAN HOUSTON is “getting behind the camera for a new documentary about fatherhood.” Houston “revealed the trailer for ‘THE LEGACY OF MY FATHER’ at the Greenwich Film Festival on Thursday” (VARIETY.com, 6/4)....D-backs 2B AARON HILL “took some time off from the diamond Thursday morning to help kick off June Dairy Month at the Tempe Family YMCA,” where he “warmed up with 100 energetic kids” (AZCENTRAL.com, 5/4)....Heat G DWYANE WADE “made a surprise appearance” Thursday at the graduation ceremony for Western High School in Miami (MIAMI HERALD, 6/5)....NASCAR driver TREVOR BAYNE and his wife, ASHTON “took to Twitter and Instagram Thursday to reveal” they are “expecting their first child” (NBCSPORTS.com, 6/4).
