USA TODAY's Brent Schrotenboer reports NCAA President MARK EMMERT in '06 "signed a pledge form" to give some of his money back to the Univ. of Washington -- "$100,000 to go toward a scholarship fund" -- after becoming the school's president that year. But Emmert "never followed through on that pledge." Records show that Emmert paid "$51,000 of the $100,000 pledge" by January '10, but the rest "went unpaid after Emmert left UW" for his current position with the NCAA later that year. Emmert in a statement said, "Personal philanthropy is a private matter for individuals and their families. My family and I care greatly for the University of Washington and will continue to support it throughout our lives" (USA TODAY, 4/20).
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Reece (l) and Hamilton are being sued
over her involvement in NBC's "Strong" |
SPIKED CONTRACT? 7Iron Media in a lawsuit claims that volleyball player GABRIELLE REECE and her husband, surfer LAIRD HAMILTON, "backed out of their commitment to a reality series for a competing show." The lawsuit states that Reece and Hamilton "signed a written agreement" in '15 to be part of a reality series "focusing on their professional and personal activities, and agreed not to enter into any third-party agreements that were substantially similar." The complaint alleges Reece "finalized a separate deal with Sony Pictures Television to develop and star in a reality television program on NBC titled 'STRONG'" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 4/19).
EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING? EON Sports VR CEO BRENDAN REILLY appeared on MLB Network’s “MLB Now” to discuss virtual reality’s practicality in baseball. Reilly: “It’s a simulator that allows you to step into real, live game action as if you are a batter in a game. At the MLB level, what that means is you can play against the guy you are going to play against that night and you can prepare against him before you actually take the field and play against him.” He added, “You actually get to go and see and experience everything from his release point to how his curveballs drop, everything that you would see in real life” (“MLB Now,” MLB Network, 4/19).
AWARDS & HONORS: ESPN Radio's MIKE GREENBERG and MIKE GOLIC yesterday were inducted into the National Association of Broadcasting HOF in Las Vegas (ESPN)....Buccaneers co-Chair BRYAN GLAZER was inducted April 7 into the Florida Council on Economic Education's Tampa Bay Business HOF. Glazer in a five-minute speech "lent the kind of insight reporters -- and more importantly, fans -- have craved since his father purchased" the team in '95 (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/20)....BNP Paribas Open co-Founder CHARLIE PASARELL “will be honored at this year’s event as the recipient of the first Jackie Cooper ‘You’re the Best’ Award for his contribution to tennis in the valley and beyond” (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 4/20).
NAMES: Jazz CEO GREG MILLER announced the acquisition of “his first automobile dealership with the purchase of Bob Baker Toyota in San Diego.” The dealership “will be independent of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies and renamed Greg Miller Toyota under a newly created enterprise -- Greg Miller Automotive San Diego.” Miller said that he “will continue to be actively involved” on the LHM Group BOD and in serving as the Jazz rep on the NBA BOG (DESERET NEWS, 4/20)....Ravens G and Ph.D. candidate JOHN URSCHEL was “named the commencement speaker” for Penn State’s Eberly College of Science on May 7 (Baltimore SUN, 4/20)....Michigan football coach JIM HARBAUGH has “joined the new Leaders Council of the Legal Services Corporation, which raises awareness for increased funding for civil legal services for the poor” (DETROIT NEWS, 4/20)....At least 14 Univ. of Houston football players yesterday “made personal donations for bottled water that were delivered to flood victims” in Spring, Texas (CHRON.com, 4/19)....Baseball HOFer GEORGE BRETT “will serve as Grand Marshal" for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on May 7 (K.C. STAR, 4/20)....The Univ. of Georgia “agreed to pay LUDACRIS $65,000 to perform” prior to last weekend’s spring game. The Atlanta-based rapper “reached out to UGA last Wednesday,” a day after AD GREG MCGARITY “went public that the school had been unable to book a pregame musical act” (AJC.com, 4/19).
