In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel writes under the header, "JERRY JONES Is A Lock For The Hall Of Fame." Engel: "It's going to happen, think as early as 2017." Jones is a finalist as a Contributing Member for '17, with the final vote set for Feb. 4. As a "salesman of the NFL and a sport that he loves so much, Jerry has few peers." After 25 years, when it comes to "professional football decisions," Jones has been "full of hits." That is what his "induction will be about -- his contributions to Professional Football" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/22).
ON THE GROUND FLOOR: Asia-based firm Puji Capital has "made a strategic investment" in Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder, Chair & CEO TED LEONSIS' and Warriors co-Owner PETER GUBER's e-sports ownership and management group, aXiomatic. Financials "were not disclosed." This marks the "increasingly active Puji's first move" into e-sports (DEADLINE.com, 12/22).
NAMES: Point-of-sale platform Appetize on Tuesday announced that it has raised over $20M in funding led by L.A.-based private equity fund, Shamrock Capital Advisers. TIM LEIWEKE and IRVING AZOFF's Oak View Group participated in the round (Appetize)....An insider trading case against professional gambler BILLY WALTERS, which "also involved" golfer PHIL MICKELSON, is in "danger of unraveling, after it was revealed that a federal agent leaked confidential information to reporters." Yesterday the judge in the case "excoriated the agent for his role in the leaks and essentially instructed" Walters' lawyers to "file a motion to dismiss the case" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/22)....ESPN Senior VP/Corporate Communications CHRIS LAPLACA will serve as the keynote speaker at St. Bonaventure Univ.’s commencement ceremony on May 14. LaPlaca graduated from the school in ’79 (SBU)....BookNet Canada identified WAYNE GRETZKY’s “99: STORIES OF THE GAME” as the top-selling non-fiction book over a 48-week period, from Jan. 4-Dec. 4. Gretzky co-authored the book with KIRSTIE MCLELLAN DAY (CP, 12/21)....IndyCar driver WILL POWER’s wife, ELIZABETH CANNON, yesterday gave birth to the couple’s first child, BEAU WILLIAM POWER (INDYSTAR.com, 12/21).
