The trial for three former South American FIFA officials began yesterday in N.Y., with each facing "charges of racketeering conspiracy as well as wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy." The trial comes six years after the FBI "began investigating international soccer officials for corruption, and two years after dozens of them were indicted." The prosecution’s opening statement "echoed" other organized crime cases with references to "cash drops, 'bag men,' and efforts to obstruct justice" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/14).
GIVING BACK: Roxbury, Ill.-based urban youth mentoring nonprofit The BASE will "expand to Chicago with the help of a $150,000 grant" from Cubs President of Baseball Operations THEO EPSTEIN and his brother PAUL's Foundation To Be Named Later (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/10)....Cubs manager JOE MADDON's Respect 90 Foundation last night brought its "Thanksmas" program back to Tampa for the first time since '14. Maddon served spaghetti dinners to "help feed the 90 or so people staying at the Salvation Army of Tampa's emergency shelter" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 11/14)....Thunder F PAUL GEORGE yesterday "announced the launch of his foundation's outdoor initiative in cooperation with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation." The Paul George Foundation is "sponsoring the OK Fishing In The Schools District schools" (OKLAHOMAN, 11/14).
NAMES: The DAVE MATTHEWS BAND has "been booked" to play the "Night Before" concert at Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 3 ahead of Super Bowl LII, which is co-presented by CBS Radio and the NFL hospitality partner On Location Experiences. Club Nomadic "will also host DirecTV's Super Saturday concert" on the same night (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/14)....TIM TEBOW was a "surprise guest speaker" at Delta Air Lines' employee awards gala last week in Atlanta (AJC.com, 11/13)....Celtics F GUERSCHON YABUSELE yesterday “surprised folks by jumping behind the counter” at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Boston to “pour coffee and dole out scrumptious sweets" (BOSTONHERALD.com 11/14)....Basketball HOFer SHAQUILLE O'NEAL spent nearly $1M on his daughter AMIRAH’s 16th birthday on Saturday. He “gifted her with a brand-new Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV" (NYPOST.com, 11/13)....The Athletic’s MARCUS THOMPSON II has a new “book deal” that will be about Warriors F KEVIN DURANT. The book will be an “unauthorized biography” (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/13).
IN MEMORY: Former Coyotes co-Owner & Alternate Governor GEORGE GOSBEE died Sunday at 48. In July ’13, a group of Calgary businessman, led by Gosbee, purchased the Coyotes in a “deal that kept them in Arizona.” Former Coyotes President & CEO ANTHONY LEBLANC said, “You couldn’t be in a room with George Gosbee and not laugh. He was kind of the centre of attention, not that he wanted to be. He just was.” He added that Gosbee was an “avid sports enthusiast who attended the World Series, Super Bowls and the Stanley Cup finals” (CALGARY SUN, 11/14).
