Pistons Owner TOM GORES recently made a "significant pledge" of $10M to the Flint water crisis, and now the team has announced that the players and exec staff "will make an additional $500,000 commitment to Gores’ FlintNow relief effort." They will also "bring more awareness to the crisis" during tomorrow's nationally televised game against the Knicks by highlighting the efforts of Flint volunteers. The team will don “FlintNOW” shooting shirts for pregame warmups and will invite children and volunteers to the game, which will be televised on TNT. The NBA, through its NBA Cares foundation, and Commissioner ADAM SILVER "also are making contributions to the effort" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/3).
FINALLY GETTING HIS HALL PASS? In San Jose, Tim Kawakami wrote of former 49ers Owner EDDIE DEBARTOLO JR. currently may be out of the NFL, but he is the "old-school executive who helped the league transition into a bigger, splashier era." DeBartolo "personifies the bridge from the old league-builders to NFL's new age of financial superpowers." He deserves to be selected to the Pro Football HOF on Saturday because of the "five Super Bowls, and because of his deep connection to all of the players and employees of the dynasty teams." It is "important to recognize DeBartolo's key role in the history of the league -- and his potential Canton induction as the gateway to similarly deserving honors" for the Cowboys' JERRY JONES and Patriots' ROBERT KRAFT, among others, in future years (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/3).
GOING TO THE MOVIES: Momentum Pictures announced that DirecTV "will premiere" the LANCE ARMSTRONG biopic "THE PROGRAM." The film stars BEN FOSTER and CHRIS O'DOWD. It made its world premiere in September at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival, and will run "one month before its March 18 specialty theatrical and VOD debut" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 2/1)....A source said that actress EMMA STONE, who will play BILLIE JEAN KING in Fox Searchlight's "BATTLE OF THE SEXES," is "working on her court skills." The movie will "focus on the famed 1973 match between King and BOBBY RIGGS, who'll be played by STEVE CARELL" (N.Y. POST, 2/3).
NAMES: Prosecutors filed papers in Chicago federal court Monday asking a judge to sentence former Mastros Auctions President DOUG ALLEN to 57 months in prison for "outright contempt" for law enforcement (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/3)....Former Blue Jays TV analyst TONY KUBEK and longtime team exec HOWARD STARKMAN will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball HOF in a ceremony June 18 (CBHOF)....Charlotte Mayor JENNIFER ROBERTS will be the city’s “lone representative" at Super Bowl 50. The city has said that “no other employees are attending the game on official city business.” Roberts' trip is expected to cost $5,100 and “will be paid for by the city” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/3)....Former NFLer LAQUAN WILLIAMS’ Super Bowl XLVII ring “attracted 18 bids and was auctioned off for $62,220 over the weekend” (Baltimore SUN, 2/2).
