Wake Forest in a statement yesterday said the school's IMG Radio Network football announcer TOMMY ELROD “provided or attempted to provide confidential and proprietary game preparations on multiple occasions," starting in '14, to opposing teams. The university’s conclusion is "based on emails, text messages and phone records." Elrod, a Wake alum, was "immediately fired from his position at IMG and is now banned from Wake Forest athletics and facilities." The investigation "further determined that no one in the athletics department or on the football team’s staff or roster was involved in the leak" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 12/14).
STRONG ARMED: USF will pay its new football coach, CHARLIE STRONG, only $1M in total compensation "for the first two years of a heavily backloaded five-year contract." As a result, Texas, which fired Strong last month, "still must pay" him more than $9M over the next two years. His deal with UT called for the school to still pay him slightly more than $5M a year in '17 and '18 but to "receive an amount equal to half his annual compensation at any new job he landed during that period." Strong's annual compensation from USF jumps to $2.5M in '19 -- after UT's financial obligation to him ends -- and "increases by $100,000 each of the final two years" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 12/14).
HER VOICE: 49ers Chief Strategy Officer & Exec VP/Football Operations PARAAG MARATHE's efforts to fight anorexia are featured in today's N.Y. TIMES. Marathe is on the BOD for Andrea’s Voice, a nonprofit foundation that "tries to promote education about eating disorders and their treatments." He is involved in honor of his late sister, SHILPA, who had her life taken by anorexia. Marathe had "watched his brilliant sister succumb to self-destructive thoughts and starve herself," and had "seen Shilpa wither to less than 50 pounds in the last years of her life" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/14).
HOLIDAY SPIRIT: Brewers GM DAVID STEARNS yesterday "led a team contingent" to Bruce Elementary School in Milwaukee to "deliver bagfuls of presents to young, excited students from K4 through the fifth grade." Stearns "made a personal donation to the Brewers Community Foundation to purchase the presents" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/14)....Panthers QB CAM NEWTON yesterday took part in his third annual Santa Cam's Surprise Sleigh, which saw him make four stops in Charlotte "as part of his five-hour tour, which this year focused on hunger" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/14)....Chargers RB MELVIN GORDON “hosted a ‘Holiday Bike Build’ for 52 children and teenagers of service members stationed at Naval Base San Diego” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/14)....Orioles 1B CHRIS DAVIS and his wife, JILL, announced a partnership with the Univ. of Maryland Children’s Hospital. They will serve as ambassadors to help raise awareness for childhood illnesses (Orioles)....Warriors F KEVIN DURANT’s charity foundation “donated $57,000 to help Positive Tomorrows, Oklahoma City’s school for homeless children.” The grant will be used to “purchase land to build a new school” (ESPN.com, 12/13).
NAMES: Former NFLer RAY LEWIS and Pro Football HOFer JIM BROWN yesterday met with DONALD TRUMP at Trump Tower in Manhattan. After the meeting, Lewis “spoke of addressing urgent economic conditions.” Lewis: “Black or white is irrelevant” (WASHINGTON POST, 12/14). Lewis and Brown were “invited for a presidential powwow on issues affecting the African-American community” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/14)....Ice Bucket Challenge inspiration PETE FRATES, a former Boston College baseball player, received the ’17 Inspiration Award at his home yesterday. NCAA President MARK EMMERT presented him the award, and NCAA Honors Committee Chair MICHAEL BENSON was also present (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/14)....Gold Medal-winning swimmer PENNY OLEKSIAK yesterday was “named winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete” (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/14)....The movie telling the story of former figure skater TONYA HARDING “has a U.S. distributor lined up.” Actress MARGOT ROBBIE will play Harding in “I, TONYA.” Miramax has “acquired the U.S. distribution rights for the film, which will be released” in ’18 (OREGONLIVE.com, 12/12)....Rams Owner STAN KROENKE last week paid $96M for an office and a 179,271-square-foot retail complex in downtown Denver (DENVER POST, 12/14)....Gold Medal-winning U.S. gymnast ALY RAISMAN and NFL free agent TE COLTON UNDERWOOD are "dating" (BOSTON.com, 12/14).
