The UPS Foundation is giving the Louisville-based Muhammad Ali Center a $500,000 gift to "honor the memory and legacy of the late heavyweight champ." The gift will "fund educational initiatives by the center, including its UCrew, Generation Ali, Creating Our Future and the Muhammad Ali Center Council of Students programs" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/20). Officials acknowledged that the UPS gift "was not a consideration" until after MUHAMMAD ALI's death (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/21). Heritage Auctions is "offering a special catalog auction" representing Ali. The auction will be presented in a "standalone catalog in conjunction with the organization's Platinum Night event" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/20).
GET POLITICAL: Texans Owner BOB MCNAIR last month gave $1M to the Senate Leadership Fund, a "super PAC operated by close associates" of Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL (R-Ky.), whose mission is to "help the Republican Party retain its majority in the U.S. Senate" in the November elections. The contribution of McNair, "whose fortune is rooted in energy and power co-generation," brings the total he has given to McConnell-related super PACs to $2.5M in less than two years (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/21).
NAMES: Sports stars with ties to Orlando yesterday afternoon "visited victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting," including Orlando City SC MF KAKA, Basketball HOF-elect SHAQUILLE O'NEAL and former MLBer JOHNNY DAMON. Florida Gov. RICK SCOTT and his wife accompanied the athletes (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/21)....The Colts announced yesterday that former President & Vice Chair BILL POLIAN will become the 13th member of the team's Ring of Honor. Polian will be "inducted at halftime of the Colts' Week 17 game" against the Jaguars (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 6/21)....KOBE BRYANT is "going to be honored" at Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Sports’ Awards next month (THEWRAP.com, 6/20)....ARCHIE MANNING will be honored with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl’s 45th annual Distinguished Citizen Award on Sunday night in Memphis (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 6/21)....Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN and Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI have joined the film "THE CLAPPER," which is the story of a pro clapper for infomercials “who gets plucked by a late-night TV host to be on his talk show” (DEADLINE.com, 6/20)....CANDICE LEE, the mother of Jets LB DARRON LEE, “will be leaving her job as a reporter and weekend anchor” for WCMH-NBC in Columbus, Ohio, “to become the manager” for her son. She “will leave her current role on July 27 and plans to help with the 21-year-old’s off-the-field endeavors, including marketing and endorsements.” She said that she “will not be receiving a salary from her son” (N.Y. POST, 6/21).
