Film company Makuhari Media, which is co-owned by Sacred Heart AD and former MLB manager BOBBY VALENTINE, is "suing the FBI to get records of its probe" into ex-NBA referee TIM DONAGHY -- because it is "convinced the entire cooked tale has not been told." Filmmaker ANDREW MUSCATO, who runs Makuhari Media with Valentine, said, "There is reason to believe there's more to the story" (N.Y. POST, 5/7).
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Film director BRYAN FOGEL's "ICARUS," the Netflix film "about sports doping, will open" the American Film Institute’s annual documentary festival June 14 at DC's Newseum. "YEAR OF THE SCAB," the ESPN Films doc about the '87 NFL strike, directed by JOHN DORSEY, will "close the fest June 18 at the same venue" (DEADLINE.com, 5/6).
YOUR BIG NIGHT: ISP Sports Founder & IMG College Founder & Chair Emeritus BEN SUTTON and former Raleigh News & Observer columnist CAULTON TUDOR were inducted into the North Carolina Sports HOF on Friday. Sutton, a Wake Forest law graduate, "grew ISP into the pre-eminent college media and sports marketing company in America." In '10, Sutton became president and chair of IMG Collge, "leading its growth into a nearly billion dollar enterprise" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/5). Wake Forest play-by-play announcer STAN COTTEN tweeted to Sutton, "S/O to @BenSuttonISP for his induction 2nite @NCSHOF. Congrats boss!" (TWITTER.com, 5/5).
FOR A GOOD CAUSE: ESPN's DICK VITALE will host the 12th annual Dick Vitale Gala on Friday, which is "dedicated to raising money for pediatric cancer." Honorees included Notre Dame football coach BRIAN KELLY, whose wife is a cancer survivor, ESPN's CHRIS BERMAN and West Virginia men's basketball coach BOB HUGGINS, who "raised millions for cancer research in his late mother's honor." The year's event will "include a special presentation" to the family of late ESPN anchor JOHN SAUNDERS (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/7)....NFL Panthers P ANDY LEE and his wife, RACHEL, lost their daughter MADELYN ELIZABETH in '15 just "eight days after she was born in Charlotte." The two created Madelyn's Fund, a non-profit support group for NICU families at "every stage of the process." The foundation's inaugural "pink bow gala" will be held May 19 at the Charlotte Country Club and is "already sold out" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/5).
NAMES: Louisville men's basketball coach RICK PITINO said that Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming co-Owner ANTHONY BONOMO has been “one of his best friends since meeting him seven or eight years ago” (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 5/6)....GARTH BROOKS on Saturday night performed at K.C.’s Sprint Center, and during “Friends In Low Places” he “enlisted Royals players ERIC HOSMER, DREW BUTERA, WHIT MERRIFIELD, BRANDON MOSS and TRAVIS WOOD” (KANSASCITY.com, 5/7)....Baseball HOFer PEDRO MARTINEZ and his wife CAROLINA on Saturday night hosted the Feast With 45 at Fenway Park to benefit children in need. The event was emceed by BILLY COSTA and JENNY JOHNSON of NESN’s “DINING PLAYBOOK” (BOSTON HERALD, 5/7)....Gold Medal-winning U.S. gymnast ALY RAISMAN “helped participants break a sweat for a good cause on Saturday at the Jimmy Fund Fit Fest” in Boston (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/8).
IN MEMORY: Int’l Swimming HOFer ADOLPH KIEFER passed away Friday at the age of 98. A longtime advocate for promoting swimming, Kiefer was also a business owner whose products helped advance the sport (USA Swimming).
