Eagles S MALCOLM JENKINS was one of 13 NFL players who met with team owners last week to "discuss protests that have been taking place before games during the playing of the national anthem." Jenkins' roles as player and advocate has been a "balancing act." He said, "What I’m doing is bigger than me, and if it inspires other guys to get involved and shows them a way to use their platform, that’s effective. It’s definitely something I appreciate." Jenkins also is doing work for "underserved youth" via his foundation and has the "responsibilities of life at home with his wife, MORRISA, and their daughter, ELLE" (PHILLY.com, 10/22).
FEARSOME FOURSOME: PRESIDENT OBAMA and Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK played golf yesterday in Dallas alongside two UA-sponsored athletes -- Warriors G STEPHEN CURRY and golfer JORDAN SPIETH. Obama "headed to Dallas after raising money in College Station, Texas, for the spate of hurricanes that hit the U.S. in the past few months" (POLITICO.com, 10/23).
LENDING A HAND: NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL and his wife JANE were among the notable names to "give to a scholarship fund set up for the children" of U.S. Army Sgt. LA DAVID JOHNSON, who was killed in Niger this month. A GoFundMe account was established and one of the "biggest contributors" were the Goodells at $7,500 (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/20). The Dolphins also donated $30,000 (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/23).
ART IMITATING LIFE: The Bucks have an "eerily lifelike statue" of a security guard stationed at the entrance of the team's practice gym. Called "Art," the statue is "made from cast polyester resin, painted in flesh tones and dressed in a uniform." Art’s story began in '97, when former Bucks Owner HERB KOHL "commissioned a piece" from Milwaukee sculptor MARC SIJAN, who drew his inspiration from an "older Wisconsin man" (WSJ.com, 10/20).
NAMES: A Colts player was "defrauded by an Ohio man in a charity scam last year." The NFL player, who is unidentified, paid $6,480 in June '16 for 300 backpacks that the player "planned to give away at a charity event." But the Ohio man, CAMARIO RICHARDSON, "accepted the money without delivering the promised backpacks" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 10/21)....Authors BRUCE KEBRIC, JON KINGDON and STEVE CORKRAN recently released their book on late Raiders Owner AL DAVIS, called, "BEHIND THE RAIDERS SHIELD: UNTOLD STORIES FROM LONGTIME DAVIS CONFIDANTS" (THE DAILY)....Among the celebrities attending yesterday’s F1 U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas were USAIN BOLT, PRESIDENT CLINTON, actors WOODY HARRELSON, OWEN WILSON and MICHAEL DOUGLAS, CBS’ GAYLE KING, drivers JOSEF NEWGARDEN and JUAN PABLO MONTOYA and former IndyCar champion JOHNNY RUTHERFORD (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/23)....U.S. speedskater BRIAN HANSEN yesterday was the honorary pace car driver for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway (K.C. STAR, 10/23). Actors MIKE VOGEL and JAY HERNANDEZ served as the honorary starter and grand marshal, respectively (K.C. STAR, 10/23).
IN MEMORY: Former Chiefs Dir of Public & Community Relations and NCAA Dir of Special Events BOB SPRENGER passed away over the weekend (TWITTER.com, 10/22).
