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Wednesday 9:00am ET....Today's News....Adventures Of Tom's Lawyers

  • Source: Tom Brady Gives NFLPA Go-Ahead To Take NFL To Court
  • Brady Decision Highlighted In Overnight, Morning News Cycle
  • Adidas Becomes Pac-12 Apparel/Footwear Partner In Three-Year Deal
  • NFL's Grubman Convening Meeting In Oakland On Raiders' Future

Source: Tom Brady Gives NFLPA Go-Ahead To Take NFL To Court

A source said that Patriots QB Tom Brady gave the NFLPA the "go-ahead to take the league to federal court" after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Brady's four-game Deflategate suspension. The source said that the union intended to file its case in Minnesota, where U.S. District Judge David Doty "has historically ruled in favor of players." The NFLPA "plans to ask the court to either rule before the Patriots' Sept. 10 opener or grant an injunction that lets Brady play until it does," according to another source. The NFL management council yesterday "preemptively filed a request" for a U.S. District Court in Manhattan to "confirm the league’s decision" to uphold the suspension (USA TODAY, 7/29).

Brady's first response to the news came via a Facebook post: "I am very disappointed by the NFL’s decision to uphold the 4 game suspension against me. I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either. ... To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong" (FACEBOOK.com, 7/29). The Patriots in a written statement said they "unequivocally believe in and support Tom Brady," calling the decision to uphold the punishment "incomprehensible" (L.A. TIMES, 7/29). Coach Bill Belichick is scheduled to talk to the media today at 10:00am ET (Mult., 7/28).

Brady Decision Highlighted In Overnight, Morning News Cycle

Last night’s edition of CBS’ “Evening News” led with a report on the Brady decision, while ABC’s “World News” and NBC’s “Nightly News” both aired a report on Brady as the second story in their broadcasts. All three network shows teased the Brady case in their opening segments, with ABC using the headline “Breaking News” while NBC had “Destroy the Evidence?” NBC’s report included commentary from The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin and SI’s Peter King.

This morning’s editions of ABC’s “GMA” and “CBS This Morning” both teased the Brady ruling in their opening segments, with ABC airing the headline “Destroying Evidence” and CBS using “Deliberate Destruction,” while NBC’s “Today” did not tease the case in their opening. The Brady ruling was the second report on CBS, the third report on ABC and the fifth report for NBC. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was live in-studio on “GMA,” the N.Y. Times’ William Rhoden was live in-studio on “CBS This Morning” and NBC’s Bob Costas spoke to the co-hosts live in-studio on "Today."

Boston Globe, A1 above the fold, “NFL Accusses Brady Of Coverup Try”  … Boston Herald, A1, “Goodell Goes To War!” … N.Y. Daily News, A1, “You Phoney” … N.Y. Times, A1 below the fold, “NFL Upholds Brady Ban, Cellphone’s Fate Helped Make The Call”  … Wall Street Journal, A1 below the fold, “NFL Keeps Tom Brady On The Bench” … USA Today, A1 top banner, “Brady, Forever A Champion – And Liar

Adidas Becomes Pac-12 Apparel/Footwear Partner In Three-Year Deal

By Michael Smith

adidas has agreed to a three-year marketing and media deal that will make it the official athletic apparel and footwear partner of the Pac-12. The agreement, which will be announced later today, gives adidas rights at all Pac-12 championship events and the Pac-12 Networks. adidas will become presenting sponsor of Pac-12 Sports Report and also will be integrated into some of Pac-12 Net’s live programming with on-air talent and production staff wearing the brand. Pac-12 staff and volunteers will be outfitted in adidas at championship events as well. The Pac-12 Net’s sales team sold the deal. The category was not previously filled.

“This new partnership continues to highlight our commitment to U.S. college sports and our focus on aligning with championship-level schools, teams and student-athletes,” said Adidas America Senior Dir of Sports Marketing Chris McGuire.

NFL's Grubman Convening Meeting In Oakland On Raiders' Future

The Raiders' future in Oakland "will be on the table" today when NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman convenes a meeting "with team and local officials." This comes amid "concern that the proposed Coliseum City mega development is floundering, and Oakland might have the stiffest challenge among three cities at risk" of losing their NFL team to L.A. It is "unclear whether Oakland and Alameda County have a stadium plan to present" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/29).

UEFA's Michel Platini Announces He Will Run For FIFA Presidency

UEFA President Michel Platini today formally announced that he will run for FIFA president, replacing Sepp Blatter. Platini: “There are times in life when you have to take your destiny into your own hands. I am at one of those decisive moments, at a juncture in my life and in events that are shaping the future of FIFA” (CNN.com, 7/29). Platini's announcement "is likely to prompt other contenders to confirm their plans to stand" (REUTERS, 7/28). A "credible opponent to Platini has yet to emerge" (PA, 7/28).

Speed Reads....

The Univ. of Hartford last night unveiled its new “H” logo that features “a streaking hawk going through the middle of the letter” (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/29).

The IOC awarded “exclusive Olympic broadcast rights in 22 Asia-Pacific countries” to Japan-based Dentsu Inc. The deal covers the '18 PyeongChang and '20 Tokyo Games and yet-to-be awarded Olympics in '22 and '24 (AP, 7/29).

AEG Facilities has renewed its venue services agreement with KeyArena at Seattle Center (AEG).

Fantasy sports platform developer Mondogoal announced that it has signed a deal with EPL club Tottenham Hotspur (Mondogoal).

Auburn "has sold out its 30,000-seat ticket allotment" for the Sept. 5 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Louisville at the Georgia Dome (AL.com, 7/28).

Quick Hits....

“I get frustrated sometimes when they accuse us of being complacent because we haven’t turned over the entire staff. To me, I’ve always craved continuity because I think continuity over the long-term gives you a better chance at having success than if you’re constantly making changes” – NFL Giants President & CEO John Mara, on fans (N.Y. POST, 7/29).

“It really distracts us from the great tournament that we have this week” – Golfer Michelle Wie, on the storyline leading up to the Women’s British Open at Turnberry being about course owner Donald Trump (AP, 7/29).

Night Moves....Brady Bunch

Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with Royals-Indians and five more MLB reports before a segment on the NFL's decision to uphold Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension. Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of FS1’s “Fox Sports Live” led with the Brady announcement, followed by Yankees-Rangers, Angels-Astros and the Angels making trades to acquire two players for the stretch run.

Morning Hot Reads: Virtual Reality Check

The S.F. CHRONICLE notes, "While much of the hype around virtual reality has focused on video games, sports will attract a wider mainstream audience who want to get closer to the action without leaving their couches or paying big bucks to get into the stadium."

The ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH on the city's viability as an MLS market: "The Cardinals' stranglehold on local sponsor money affects the [Rams and Blues]. Could an MLS club playing its schedule heads-up against the civic religion expect a better return?"

Also:

Twitter Me This....

Today's Events....

Lions single-game tickets go on sale for the team's '15 preseason and regular season. They will be sold entirely through the team's Flash Seats digital system.

A Lighter Buzz....

Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov in ’10 “promised to get married if the Nets did not win a title” by ’15. Prokhorov yesterday in a message to fans said, “Sadly to say, five years have passed, and today I am happy to say that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has agreed to take the plunge in my place” (ESPN.com, 7/28).

Spanning The Global....

The most-read Global stories today on SportsBusinessDaily.com:

1) Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, ManU Top Euro League Of Big Spending Fans
2) Paris St. Germain Aims To Become One Of World’s Most Famous Sports Franchises
3) MP & Silva Acquires Exclusive Rights To La Liga In 10 Territories Including Japan
4) Doha GOALS Exec Producer Says Forum Will Explore Global Options After L.A. Success
5) Anzhi Makhachkala Is Russia's Most Profitable Club, While Champ Zenit Loses $86M

Back Pages....

The Morning Buzz offers today's back page sports covers from some of North America's major metropolitan tabloids:

N.Y. Post N.Y. Daily News Newsday   Boston HeraldChicago Sun-TimesToronto Sun

Final Jeopardy!

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Television in the 2000s.”

“Blanco is the last name of the main character in ‘Metástasis,’ a Colombia-set version of this show.”

Laugh Track....Eyes On L.A.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said of the public resistance to Boston’s Olympic bid, “All the people from Boston I know would love to have a bunch of foreigners in their town. They’re really very welcoming. … The only thing a majority of citizens in Boston support is throwing beer bottles at Yankees fans.” Kimmel said of L.A. being back in the mix as a '24 Games host, “The Summer Olympics could bring some much-needed traffic to the L.A. area. … Now that Boston isn’t interested, they’re coming back to us? What are we, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez? Hey Boston, stop sending us the crap you don’t want. First Matt Damon and now this!” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 7/28).