In DC, Dave Sheinin profiled MLB VP/Security & Facility Management BILL BORDLEY, who spent five and a half years on President BILL CLINTON's protection detail and "headed the team assigned to first daughter CHELSEA CLINTON during her Stanford years." In the 20 years he spent as an agent, Bordley "traveled to 85 countries." He "met the pope and the queen of England." He did "stints as an attache to Germany and Russia, at one point finding himself speaking German with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN at a state dinner" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/25).
NAMING NAMES: In London, Sam Munnery reports soccer officials who "took millions of pounds in kickbacks from World Cup broadcast deals can be named by FIFA after a Swiss court rejected an attempt to keep the information private." The document "details a settlement in June last year in the ten-year-old scandal over alleged payments made by the ISL marketing agency before its 2001 collapse with debts of $300 million." It reportedly "implicates JOAO HAVELANGE, the former FIFA president, and RICARDO TEIXEIRA, the 2014 World Cup organising committee president" (LONDON TIMES, 12/28).
OWNERSHIP EXPANSION: In St. Petersburg, Rich Shopes notes negotiations are nearly complete to add Broncos QB TIM TEBOW's name to the list of investors in D1 Sports Training's "first foray into Florida." The sports training and medicine chain is "known for signing high-profile athletes as co-owners of its locations." Tebow "already co-owns a D1 location in Savannah, Ga." D1 said that Tebow is "likely to invest" in St. Petersburg also, and talks are "nearly wrapped to sign him at or near the end of the Broncos' season" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 12/28).
NAMES: Nets Owner MIKHAIL PROKHOROV in a statement said that he couldn’t make the team’s home opener against the Hawks last night because of “other obligations.” Prokhorov attended “just eight games last season after buying the team in May” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/28)....An anonymous Univ. of Alabama alum has donated two tickets to the Jan. 9 BCS National Championship game against LSU in New Orleans to Dade Organization Acting in Disaster. The tickets “will be raffled off with all proceeds going to the relief program” (AL.com, 12/27)....Fans are questioning why Team Canada after every goal scored during the IIHF World Junior Tournament is playing “Chelsea Dagger” by the Fratellis, the same song played by the Blackhawks at United Center. Twitter was “aflutter with cranky comments during Team Canada’s game against Finland” on Monday, when the song was played eight times (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 12/27)….Former U.S. swimmer and broadcaster SUMMER SANDERS will be a contestant on the new culinary competition "RACHAEL VS. GUY CELEBRITY COOK-OFF" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 12/28).
