In Las Vegas, Alan Snel profiled Fidelity National Financial Chair and prospective NHL Las Vegas Owner WILLIAM FOLEY, who "leads a company controlling" 44% of the title insurance business in the U.S., but "seems more comfortable wearing blue jeans than a dark suit." Foley "tells everyone to just call him Bill." His résumé is "packed with a wide array of career interests -- federal contract negotiations with Boeing in Seattle; law work in Phoenix; title insurance brands generating billions of dollars annually from a Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters; a slew of restaurants from Carl’s Jr. to J. Alexander’s; more than a dozen wineries in the western United States and a golf course community and cattle ranch in Montana." Foley "couldn't afford" to buy an NFL team and said that buying an MLB or NBA club "did not appeal to him" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/12).
COURT REPORT: Court documents show that Phillies minority Owner JOHN MIDDLETON "is battling in court" with a younger sister, ANNA NUPSON, over an '03 deal in which he bought her and others out of the family's conglomerate for about $200M and then sold part of the firm four years later for $2.9B. Nupson, who has yet to make specific claims of wrongdoing in court, last month claimed that that she "may bring 'substantive claims that pertain to possible self-dealing' by her brother" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/12).
MOVERS & SHAKERS: In Minneapolis, Matt Vensel profiles Relativity Sports agent BEN DOGRA, who "has made headlines" as the drama around his client, Vikings RB ADRIAN PETERSON, "has unfurled." At the scouting combine in February, Dogra "got into a well-publicized late-night shouting match" with Vikings Exec VP/Football Operations ROB BRZEZINSKI. Respected among agents and front-office execs for his "bulldog-like nature in negotiations, and aided by his ability to relate with players and their families while recruiting them, Dogra has become one of the most powerful agents in football" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/12).
EXEC COMPENSATION: CBS President & CEO LES MOONVES' '14 compensation was valued at $57M. He collected a $25M bonus, stock worth nearly $15M and options valued at $10M. His compensation represented a 15% drop from '13 (L.A. TIMES, 4/11)....NBC Universal CEO STEVE BURKE last year was awarded a compensation package valued at $33.9M, an increase of 9% compared with the previous year. The compensation plan for Comcast Chair & CEO BRIAN ROBERTS was just under $33M last year (L.A. TIMES, 4/11). Entertainment execs "continue to reap some of the biggest rewards when it comes to compensation." The lucrative compensation packages "come at an increasingly troubled time in the media industry" (L.A. TIMES, 4/11).
NAMES: Patriots QB TOM BRADY "plans to stay in the Boston area forever." He said, "This is where my kids were born, where they'll be raised. I'll be a lifer here." He said of using Facebook, "It's a great platform for sharing what you want to share, not necessarily what the media outlets want to share" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/13)....Dolphins Owner STEPHEN ROSS last week told Wayne State Univ. law school students, "What I got out of (law school) was learning how to really think and work hard." He added, "Find something you love so you don't feel like you're working. It takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. But if you enjoy what you're doing, time goes by too fast" (DETROIT NEWS, 4/11)....Former Bears CB CHARLES TILLMAN "placed an advertisement in the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday, expressing his gratitude toward Chicago and Bears fans" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 4/12)....Seattle Times sportswriter BUD WITHERS on Friday retired after 45 years (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/12)....PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH joined Int’l Tennis HOFer ROY EMERSON on Friday for the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston (ATPWORLDTOUR.com, 4/10).
IN MEMORY: Former Univ. of Florida football coach and AD RAY GRAVES, who helped UF “reach national prominence” in the '60s, died Friday at 96. Graves spent 20 years as AD, helping “usher in the Title IX era and creating plans to build the O’Connell Center” (AP, 4/10). He will be “remembered for playing a key role in the development” of Gatorade. After UF, he “moved to the Tampa Bay area” and served as VP of Steinbrenner Enterprises until ’89 (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/11)....Former N.Y. Post hockey writer and columnist HUGH DELANO on Easter Sunday died at 81 “following a long illness.” Delano “covered a wide range of sports,” including 21 years at the Post from ’72-93, but is “best remembered for his time on the Rangers beat” (N.Y. POST, 4/13).
