In Louisville, Danielle Lerner reports Adidas has "cut ties" with fired Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino. UL yesterday "voted unanimously" to formally fire Pitino in wake of the FBI-college hoops scandal. Pitino took in 98% of the $39M Adidas "owed to Louisville on the university's current deal" signed in '14 -- including $1.5M in '15-16 -- under his "personal services agreement" with the brand. Pitino also had a "personal contract with Adidas before the university ever entered into a deal with the company" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/17).
PROTECT OUR HOUSE: Football helmet maker Riddell said that it intends to "vigorously defend its products and its reputation against concussion-related lawsuits" (AP, 10/17). In Boston, Bob McGovern reports a suit filed by the family of late Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez claims the NFL, Riddell and others "systematically hid evidence that football could cause serious brain injuries" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/17).
SKATE STORAGE: Cabinets to Go has signed its first sports sponsorship, agreeing to a one-year deal to become the official cabinet supplier of U.S. Figure Skating. As part of the deal, Cabinets to Go is the on-air presenting sponsor of NBC’s coverage of the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championship in January, and also receives TV-visible signage and on-site activation chances at the domestic Bridgestone Skate America Nov. 24-26 and the U.S. Championships in December. The supplier level is the second tier of USFS’ sponsorship offerings, and includes United Airlines, Main Event Event Merchandise Group and others. Terms were not disclosed, but supplier-level deals typically are priced in the low-to-mid six figures annually (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).
