The on-again, off-again trial pitting Saints and Pelicans Owner TOM BENSON against trustees for his estranged heirs appears to be back on, with a bench trial scheduled for Feb. 6. Twice the parties have filed documents with the federal court overseeing the case, saying settlement talks were advanced, and now twice the parties have filed documents saying they are headed to trial. It was two years ago this month that Benson cut off his three heirs: his daughter and two grandchildren. While their lawsuits have failed to prevent him from shifting their team shares to his wife and replacing them with promissory notes, the trustees’ case about the values of the shares continues (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
HE'S A BUSINESS, MAN: The Ringer's BILL SIMMONS said Cowboys Owner JERRY JONES has "made two of the great business decisions in the history" of the NFL. Simmons, who recently had Fox' JOE BUCK on his eponymous podcast, said Jones "knew he was buying a brand" when he "paid for the Cowboys." Simmons added AT&T Stadium is "one of the great things that has been built by an owner in the last 30 years." Simmons: "It's a spectacle and it's friggin' awesome." Meanwhile, Buck said he thinks Jones will enter the Pro Football HOF, "potentially this year." Buck: "You can look at whatever business hall of fame there is. ... This guy is a forward-thinking business genius." Buck said the money Jones has "made the other owners from these TV deals" has "taken the baton forward even more, and with these stadiums that are being built (as) multipurpose, multi-event (buildings) across different sports" (DALLASNEWS.com, 1/11).
SEE YOU IN COURT: A group of former college football players is suing the NCAA and the Big 12 for what they "allege is inadequate concussion treatment and return-to-play rules." The former athletes "seek damages" from the NCAA and the Big 12 for brain injuries "sustained on the field." The plaintiffs -- CORY BRANDON, KELVIN CHAISSON, DERRICK CHERRY, JARROD BLAKE ROBERTS and JOSEPH WALKER -- "played football for colleges in Texas and Oklahoma, and filed the suit in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/12).
NAMES: Former Univ. of Tennessee women's AD JOAN CRONAN has been named the inaugural recipient of the NCAA President's Pat Summitt Award. Created this year, the award "recognizes an individual in the NCAA's membership for 'positively influencing college athletes and their experiences through the individual’s career-long commitment to advocating for college sports'" (Knoxville NEWS SENTINEL, 1/12)....California Assemblyman JIMMY GOMEZ "wants to name a section" of an L.A. freeway in honor of retired broadcaster VIN SCULLY. Gomez "introduced a resolution last week to rename a two-mile stretch of Interstate 110 that passes Dodger Stadium" (L.A. TIMES, 1/11)....Hockey commentator DON CHERRY's eponymous restaurant in Nepean, Ontario, has "closed its doors and turned off its taps due to increased costs and waning foot traffic from customers" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 1/12)....Browns QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III on Tuesday joined CHIP and JOANNA GAINES on HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” to “renovate the home of a Vietnam War veteran” (ESPN.com, 1/11)....Former MLBer CHIPPER JONES yesterday morning on Twitter “announced the birth of his fifth son” (AJC.com, 1/11)....Michigan football coach JIM HARBAUGH and his wife, SARAH, welcomed the newest addition to their family yesterday with the birth of their son, JOHN. It is Harbaugh’s “seventh child” (ESPN.com, 1/11)....Patriots DT ALAN BRANCH yesterday celebrated the “birth of his third child and first boy” (BOSTON HERALD, 1/12).
