Comedian STEVE HARVEY had a message yesterday after his name appeared in a $500M federal lawsuit filed against NASCAR that "claims the series discriminates against black-owned teams and drivers." On his nationally syndicated radio show, he said, "You are not going to drag me into the mud with NASCAR. I have no problem with NASCAR. Ain't never had a problem." Diversity Motorsports CEO TERRANCE COX in the lawsuit alleges NASCAR "advised Harvey that it would not sanction any race team associated with Cox and Diversity Motorsports." Harvey: "Here's the problem with this story. I never had a meeting with NASCAR" (USA TODAY, 9/21).
PLACE YOUR BETS: Former NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN will speak at a Las Vegas gambling conference next week and "proclaim his support for the expansion of legal sports betting." Stern said, "It seems to be an inexorable march, and it's time to come up with a strategy that gets the various stakeholders together and see what changes, if any, make sense." Stern will appear on Sept. 29 at the Global Gaming Expo in conversation with American Gaming Association CEO GEOFF FREEMAN (SFGATE.com, 9/19). The AGA also has enlisted former Boston Police Commissioner ED DAVIS and former FBI Deputy Dir TIM MURPHY to pen a report highlighting that the ban on sports betting is not working and is driving a $150B "illegal market and draining law enforcement resources in communities across the county" (POLITICO.com, 9/21).
LAW & ORDER: Former NHLer CHRIS PHILLIPS has launched a "multimillion-dollar lawsuit" against his former agent, STACEY MCALPINE. The lawsuit, seeking $3.2M, "plus punitive damages, alleges shoddy investments and unauthorized real estates deals." Also named in the lawsuit are McAlpine's parents (OTTAWA SUN, 9/20)....Former NBAer CHRISTIAN LAETTNER has reached an agreement that will “enable him to stay out of bankruptcy." Laettner’s lawyers said that he had “reached a deal on how to divide roughly” $10M in proceeds from a project in Durham, N.C., among investors, including UCF men's basketball coach JOHNNY DAWKINS, Basketball HOFer SCOTTIE PIPPEN and a company controlled by T'Wolves Owner GLEN TAYLOR (WSJ.com, 9/20)....Massachusetts businessman JOSEPH MARCHESE is "seeking monetary damages from the Boston Redevelopment Authority" over its controversial no-bid contract with the Red Sox in '13 that "grants the team perpetual rights to use Yawkey Way on game days." Marchese filed the claim on Friday in Suffolk Superior Court (BOSTON HERALD, 9/21).
NAMES: Cavaliers F KEVIN LOVE is making what UCLA's athletic department calls "a significant financial contribution" to the university. The athletic department said that Love's "unspecified donation matches the amount" Thunder G RUSSELL WESTBROOK gave last December, which was the "largest by a former Bruins basketball player in school history" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/21)....Former USA Gymnastics physician DR. LARRY NASSAR, who is "facing a growing chorus of sexual assault allegations," has been fired by Michigan State (LANSING STATE JOURNAL, 9/21)....Warriors G SHAUN LIVINGSTON, assistant coach WILLIE GREEN and “more than 120 volunteers” yesterday participated in the “Warriors Back To School in the Bay” campaign. Each September, the team “visits several schools across the Bay Area with an aim to reach more than 10,000 youth and advocate for the importance of education” (MERCURYNEWS.com, 9/20)....Swedish-born former NHLer DANIEL ALFREDSSON yesterday “officially made Canada his home," as he and 102 others became Canadian citizens during an event at the World Cup of Hockey Fan Village. NHL Commissioner GARY BETTMAN, NHLPA Exec Dir DONALD FEHR and “Hockey Night in Canada” host RON MACLEAN “were also on hand” (TORONTO STAR, 9/21)....Jazz F GORDON HAYWARD yesterday “put his gaming skills to the test again, but did so with a twist.” In an event with HyperX, a gaming company that sponsors Hayward, he played video games with fans at the Microsoft store in the City Creek Mall (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 9/21).
