Georgia-based NFL agent TERRY WATSON yesterday "pleaded guilty" to violating North Carolina law as "part of a plea arrangement with prosecutors." Watson was "sentenced to 30 months probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine." During his probation, he is "barred from working for a sports agency." Watson "acknowledged giving nearly $24,000 in cash, airline tickets or hotel rooms" to former football players MARVIN AUSTIN, GREG LITTLE and ROBERT QUINN to "get them to sign with his agency while they still were college players" at UNC (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 4/18).
AWARDS & HONORS: The Hockey HOF will honor longtime Postmedia sportswriter CAM COLE with its Elmer Ferguson Award for excellence in hockey journalism. Also being honoured is longtime Stars play-by-play man DAVE STRADER, who is "this year’s recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster" (NATIONAL POST, 4/17)....Falcons and Atlanta United FC Owner ARTHUR BLANK will "receive the Atlanta Sports Council’s Lifetime Achievement award presented by Coca-Cola" at the '17 Atlanta Sports Awards on July 13 at the Rialto Center for the Arts (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/18).
BRINGING HIS GAME FACE: Clippers Owner STEVE BALLMER appeared on “CBS This Morning” to promote the launch of USA Facts Report, a comprehensive database for information about the government. CBS’ Gayle King noted Game 2 of the Jazz-Clippers Western Conference quarterfinal matchup is tonight and said, “Half the fun of going to a Clippers game, which we’ve been to, is watching you.” King: “Do you ever say, ‘You know, I’m just going to sit here quietly and just enjoy the game?’” Ballmer: “I can enjoy the game, but not quietly, and actually I get graded oftentimes.” Ballmer noted Clippers C DEANDRE JORDAN approaches him “occasionally after a game and says, ‘You weren’t there tonight, you didn’t bring your game.’ So I’ve heard that feedback from at least one of our guys” (“CBS This Morning,” 4/18).
NAMES: Ohio State football coach URBAN MEYER was the "highest paid public employee in Ohio last year" with $4.61M in salary and bonus pay. Not "far behind him" was men's basketball coach THAD MATTA, who earned $3.39M. AD GENE SMITH made $1.98M (DAYTONDAILYNEWS.com, 4/17)....Mobile ad tech company AdTheorent Founder & CEO ANTHONY IACOVONE has bought the independent Atlantic League New Britain Bees and will serve as Majority Owner. Bees Founder & CEO FRANK BOULTON, who also owns the league's Long Island Ducks, "has been the Bees' principal owner for the past year." He and Partner MICHAEL PLAFF will "remain involved with the club" (HARTFORD COURANT, 4/18)....Patriots WR JULIAN EDELMAN "got a hero’s welcome at the Puma Store at Assembly Row over the weekend" in Boston. Edelman made an appearance to "promote his new JE11 IGNITE Limitless sneaker" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/18).
