THE MMQB's Peter King wrote no member of an NFL team's media relations staff "has been more professional" than Broncos VP/Corporate Communications JIM SACCOMANO, who is "retiring at the end of the year after 36 seasons working for the team." Saccomano on Sunday "had the press box in the Denver stadium named after him." King: "You always knew who Saccomano worked for, but the mark of a good PR guy ... is he understands those sent to cover the games have pressures on them, too, to come back with unique takes and insight, and he was always was prepared to go as close to the line as he could without going over it to help us do our jobs" (MMQB.SI.com, 12/9).
TECH SUPPORT: MULTICHANNEL NEWS named ESPN Exec VP & Chief Technology Officer CHUCK PAGANO its "Tech Exec Of The Year: Programmer." Pagano "has a tremendous track record when it comes to staying ahead of the curve and making the correct decisions using a recipe that's comprised of heavy doses of science and a dash or two of institution." Throughout a career at ESPN that "stem back to 1979, initially as a technical director, this concoction has helped Pagano and the programmer remain focused on the needs of the present while also prepping for the unknown." Pagano's "ability as a calculated risk-taker has been taken to task through the years, recently with his spot-on bets on HDTV, and even the rare miss, including ESPN's ambitious plans involving 3DTV" (MULTICHANNEL NEWS, 12/9 issue).
SCARLET LETTERS: Officials at Rutgers -- which was "sued Friday" by former basketball player DERRICK RANDALL over alleged abuse by former coach MIKE RICE -- said that "at least three other players have filed notice that they may also take the school to court." RU Senior Dir of Media Relations GREG TREVOR "declined to name the three players or give any details on the alleged legal problems with the notices." Trevor said RU's attorneys have asked the players "to clarify their filings." But Trevor said that "none of the three have taken the next step and actually filed the lawsuits" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 12/10).
NAMES: NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL yesterday morning visited Chicago's Pulaski Int'l Elementary School to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the "Fuel Up To Play 60" program (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 12/9)....A N.J. appeals court has "refused to hear arguments" by Vikings Owner ZYGI WILF that his family's net worth "should be kept private." The order "stems from a lawsuit filed against" the Wilf family by former partners in a '80s real estate project (AP, 12/9)....Parkes/MacDonald Productions has "acquired movie and TV rights to the book “LEAGUE OF DENIAL: THE NFL, CONCUSSIONS AND THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH.” The film will be produced by WALTER PARKES and LAURIE MACDONALD (VARIETY.com, 12/9)....Levy Restaurants Chair LARRY LEVY is profiled in the Wall Street Journal's "What’s Your Workout" feature, and notes he has “a workout to match each of the cities he frequents.” The 69-year-old estimates that he “spends between $12,000 to $15,000 a year overall in personal training fees” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/10)….Mariners Senior Dir of Baseball Information TIM HEVLY was the recipient of MLB's ’13 Robert O. Fishel Award for PR Excellence. He recently finished his 24th season with the club (Mariners)….Jazz C ENES KANTER yesterday "donated more than 200 stuffed animals, Jazz basketballs and toys to the Toys for Tots program” (DESERET NEWS, 12/10)….Venturi Automobiles and actor LEONARDO DICAPRIO announced a partnership to enter a team in the new Formula E electric car racing series (Formula E)….NWSL Portland Thorns F ALEX MORGAN is engaged to MLS Dynamo MF SERVANDO CARRASCO (FOXSOCCER.com, 12/9).
