ESPN.com's Dan Rafael wrote MIKE TYSON's investment as a boxing promoter comes as a partner in the former Acquinity Sports, a Fla.-based promotional company "that has been around for about two years and has a growing stable of talent," including boxers ARGENIS MENDEZ and CLAUDIO MARRERO. Tyson "worked on a deal" with Acquinity Sports co-Founder & CEO GARRY JONAS for the past five months before making it official a few weeks ago and changing the company name to Iron Mike Productions (ESPN.com, 7/19).
FROM THE N.Y. POST: NFL Giants Chair & Exec VP STEVE TISCH recently assisted “a team of Cuban athletes headed to Israel's Maccabiah Games." Tisch "offered to buy uniforms for the team and its coaches -- including outfits for opening ceremonies, recreational events and active sportswear." The initials "PRT," for the late PRESTON ROBERT TISCH, "appear on the uniform's right sleeves" (N.Y. POST, 7/21)....Nets Owner MIKHAIL PROKHOROV on Thursday had lunch at Catch in N.Y. with Forest City Ratner Chair & CEO BRUCE RATNER, Barclays Center CEO BRETT YORMARK, Excel Sports Management President JEFF SCHWARTZ and William Morris Endeavor head JILL SMOLLER, as well as some of the Nets players (N.Y. POST, 7/20).
BODY ISSUES: Tennis player AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA wrote on her Facebook page regarding her involvement in ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue." Radwanska was dropped from a Catholic youth group for her "immoral behavior" after appearing without clothes, and she wrote, "The pictures are certainly not meant to cause offense and to brand them as immoral clearly does not take into account the context of the magazine. Moreover, they do not contain any explicit imagery whatsoever. ... I agreed to participate to help encourage young people, and especially girls, to exercise, stay in shape and be healthy" (USATODAY.com, 7/19).
MAKING A COMEBACK? In L.A., Bill Plaschke wrote former MLBer MIKE MARSHALL, who was "ripped by the media and public for not playing hurt" while with the Dodgers in '88, is now the "commissioner of the four-team Pacific Assn." But in his "effort to return to the world where he once fueled a World Series title, Marshall has been shunned." Marshall said, "A lot of unreturned phone calls. A lot of rejection" (L.A. TIMES, 7/21).
AGENT WATCH: Eagles WR DESEAN JACKSON has signed with JOEL SEGAL of Lagardere Unlimited (Liz Mullen, Staff Writer)....In S.F., Al Saracevic profiled Octagon NFL player agent DOUG HENDRICKSON, and wrote while Hendrickson "toils in relative anonymity ... he is among the top agents in the game." Hendrickson "had three clients who were picked in the first round" of April's NFL Draft. He had another player selected in the second round and one more in the third (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/21).
NAMES: Former NFLer JIMMY FARRIS said that he will "run for office" in '14. Farris said, "I'm just not positive for what office or for what seat" (SPOKESMAN.com, 7/18)....Dodgers RF YASIEL PUIG is "being sued" for $12M by Cuban MIGUEL ANGEL CORBACHO DAUDINOT, who "claims Puig knowingly made false allegations against him that resulted in his receiving a seven-year prison sentence" (LATIMES.com, 7/19)....Steelers QB and Univ. of Toledo alum BRUCE GRADKOWSKI opened his restaurant, Gradkowski's, on the school's campus in January and will "soon open" another restaurant, Social, in Perrysburg, Ohio (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/21)....Seahawks DBs BRANDON BROWNER and RICHARD SHERMAN, along with WR DOUG BALDWIN on Thursday visited U.S. Army Staff Sergeant ANDREW MCCANN, taking the time to "sign helmets and footballs" (KNDO.com, 7/19).
