In London, Paul Kelso reports FBI investigators will "travel to the Caribbean this week as they continue their probe into allegations of widespread FIFA corruption." Investigators are "pursuing lines of inquiry on several fronts after interviewing CHUCK BLAZER, the American FIFA executive committee member at the heart of the investigation." Blazer is being "investigated following allegations that he failed to declare payments linked to CONCACAF television deals to the US tax authorities." The FBI is "thought to be working through information provided by Blazer as well as examining a raft of allegations made following the flawed FIFA elections for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts a year ago, and the presidential election this summer" (London TELEGRAPH, 12/14).
HOLDING HIM TO THE FIRE: In Canada, Derek Abma reports THEO FLEURY is "calling for the firing" of Montreal Gazette sportswriter PAT HICKEY, who called the former NHLer "'hypocritical' in a column over recent remarks Fleury made about the justice system’s handling of GRAHAM JAMES, the former junior hockey coach who sexually abused Fleury and other players." Hickey in an article Tuesday "called out Fleury for saying Canada’s justice system didn’t do enough to keep James behind bars." Hickey wrote that Fleury "only went public with his allegations against James more than a decade later in his autobiography, 'PLAYING WITH FIRE.'" Hickey added it was “hypocritical that Fleury can blast the justice system for giving James two months of freedom when he provided his former coach with years.” A website for Fleury posted a statement calling on the public to "demand" from the Gazette that "Pat Hickey be fired immediately" (NATIONAL POST, 12/14).
CAMPAIGN FINANCES: In DC, Dan Steinberg reported Redskins Owner DAN SNYDER is supporting Republican presidential candidate MITT ROMNEY's campaign. Both "Snyder and his wife TANYA gave the maximum $2,500 to the Romney campaign back in June." Those are their "only contributions to a Presidential candidate so far this election cycle." Wizards and Capitals Owner TED LEONSIS "gave $2,500 to the Obama re-election effort in the same month" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 12/13).
TWITTER TIPS: Patriots WR CHAD OCHOCINCO discussed the impact Twitter and other online communications have had on his career during a guest lecture in Emerson College professor DAVID GERZOF RICHARD's Social Media Class. Ochocinco offered his "five tips to rock" Twitter: be inventive, don't censor yourself, use it as a dating site, have comebacks ready and do it yourself (BOSTON HERALD, 12/14).
FAMILY SHOW BIZ: Mavericks F LAMAR ODOM said that he "hasn't spoken to Mavericks owner MARK CUBAN about whether he'll continue" doing a reality show with wife KHLOE KARDASHIAN. Odom: "I'll talk to him about it. It is what I do, but if it's going to get in the way, that's something that I have to talk to my teammates about and Coach (RICK CARLISLE) and Mark" (DALLASNEWS.com, 12/13).The second season of Kardashian and Odom's spinoff series, "KHLOE AND LAMAR" will premiere at 10:00pm on Feb. 19 and it will "capture the couple's impending move to Texas" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 12/13).
NAMES: Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI "spent an hour at Gillette Stadium in front of the cameras shooting promos" for Cartoon Network that will run in late January (BOSTON HERALD, 12/14)....The Safeway Classic yesterday announced that it will "donate $1 million to local children's charities from its 2011 staging, marking the sixth consecutive year the LPGA Tour event has hit the million-dollar mark" (Portland OREGONIAN, 12/14)....NBA Kings President of Business Operations MATINA KOLOKOTRONIS is "fighting back against a Southern California company that has been pursuing the business assets of her estranged husband," SOTIRIS. She "filed suit last month against an affiliated company of Ayres Advisors LLC claiming 'malicious prosecution' over a lawsuit the company filed and then later dropped that had accused the couple of fraud" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/13)....Microsoft co-Founder and Trail Blazers and Seahawks Owner PAUL ALLEN and aerospace pioneer BURT RUTAN yesterday announced that they are “building a giant airplane and spaceship to zip people and cargo into orbit.” But unlike traditional rockets and government spaceships, the new commercial spaceship “will drop from a high-flying airplane instead of blasting off from a launch pad” (Portland OREGONIAN, 12/14)….NFL free agent TERRELL OWENS has been “simultaneously slapped with court papers by three different women for alleged unpaid child support totaling $35,000” (N.Y. POST, 12/14)….Saints QB DREW BREES is scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of “SESAME STREET” (NOLA.com, 12/13).
