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Names In The News

Last Friday's deadline to complete the court-ordered examination of Saints and Pelicans Owner TOM BENSON "arrived with no apparent delays, but a final report on the mental health of the 87-year-old billionaire likely is expected to take at least a few weeks." A team of three doctors "was to evaluate Benson's competency and produce a report that will likely be a crucial step in a legal battle for control of Louisiana's largest personal fortune and the state's two major professional sports franchises" (NOLA.com, 3/13). THE MMQB's Peter King writes he has "gotten the impression -- as do most people I talk to in the league" -- that Benson "is mentally fit enough to decide what to do" with the Saints and Pelicans. The Benson family legal battle is "an ugly story that promises to get uglier, particularly if it ever goes to trial" (MMQB.SI.com, 3/16).

PLANK'S BANK: Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK earned nearly $3.6M last year, "with most of the compensation directly tied to the sports apparel maker's strong financial performance." Plank's base salary "has remained at $26,000" since '08, and he "was paid the bulk of the earnings in cash incentives and stock awards." UA paid Plank almost $3.2M in '13 (BALTIMORESUN.com, 3/13).

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: Basketball HOFer CHARLES BARKLEY discussed "learning to speak your mind without spilling it on social media" at the SXSW festival over the weekend. Barkley said, "People have become so mean-spirited, (online) I choose not to partake in it. When you're in the limelight, people take potshots at you." There are "dozens of Barkley pages on Twitter, but they're all fake" (USA TODAY, 3/16)....Giants WR VICTOR CRUZ was spotted at the annual festival in Austin, at the Fast Company Grill pop-up food stand (N.Y. POST, 3/15).

SCREEN TIME: Director MARTIN SCORSESE will be turning MIKE TYSON's life "into a biopic -- with JAMIE FOXX taking on the role of Tyson" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/14)...."HOCKEY WIVES" premieres Wednesday on Toronto-based W Network and includes the significant others of Kings RW DUSTIN BROWN, Canucks G RYAN MILLER, former NHLers GEORGE PARROS and RAY WHITNEY, Maple Leafs G JONATHAN BERNIER, Canadiens RW BRANDON PRUST, Wild D JONATHON BLUM, Ducks G JASON LABARBERA, Oilers G BEN SCRIVENS and Coyotes coach DAVE TIPPETT (NATIONALPOST.com, 3/15).

CHARITY STRIPE: U.S. Army reserve soldier CORY STROUTH and his wife LAURA were "surprised to receive an all-expenses-paid Alaskan cruise," presented to them by NASCAR driver ARIC ALMIROLA in advance of yesterday's Sprint Cup CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix Int'l Raceway. It was "part of Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that that provides support to families of service personnel." Idaho-based grocery chain Albertsons and Eckrich, Almirola's lead sponsor this weekend, "made it possible for the Strouths to get the trip, along with free groceries for a year and VIP status" for yesterday's race (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/14).

NAMES: Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL, who "loves poker," has become "an ambassador for the online site PokerStars," The site "struck gold" with Nadal. One would "have to hunt hard" to find "a nicer, more down-to-earth, raised-right athlete." Nadal "plays occasional charity tournaments and even won one" in '13 (L.A. TIMES, 3/15)....Lions DT HALOTI NGATA "took out a full-page advertisement" in yesterday's Baltimore Sun, which included a letter "thanking the city of Baltimore, the Ravens and their fans for his nine years with the franchise" (Baltimore SUN, 3/16)...."BIG BILL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF NASCAR FOUNDER BILL FRANCE SR.," a biography written by H.A. BRANHAM, "was released internationally" earlier this month (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/14)....Spurs Owner PETER HOLT “will act as the grand marshal” during this year’s Battle of Flowers parade on April 24 (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 3/15)....Tennis HOFer CHRIS EVERT will return as an Official Ambassador for the ’15 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore, presented by SC Global (WTA)....NFL Panthers coach RON RIVERA gave Warriors G STEPHEN CURRY a football jersey “sporting his No. 30” for his birthday (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 3/16)....Tigers P JUSTIN VERLANDER yesterday watched an NHRA competition in Gainesville, Fla., “while visiting with Kalitta Motorsports team members” (DETROIT NEWS, 3/16).

IN MEMORY: L.A. sports radio broadcaster JOE MCDONNELL has died at 58. “The Big Nasty” earned his nickname from three decades of “caustic comments” as a commentator or host at more than a dozen local stations (AP, 3/14).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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