North Carolina AD BUBBA CUNNINGHAM will get $200,000 a year in "deferred compensation payments for the next five years in a new deal approved Friday" by the school BOG. The payments will be "funded with athletic department money and not state appropriations." Cunningham will receive $1M in deferred payments "over the period of his new contract." UNC BOT Chair HAYWOOD COCHRANE said that Cunningham was "underpaid" compared to other ADs at large universities. Cunningham's salary before Friday's vote was $705,853 (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 11/4).
MONEY MATTERS: A lawsuit filed in N.Y. "rekindles questions about business practices" at tech company Ubiquiti Networks, the source of Grizzlies Controlling Owner ROBERT PERA's "considerable wealth." Online stock commentary website Citron Research's accusations are at the "center of a lawsuit" that asks a federal judge in N.Y. to "impanel a jury and weigh allegations Ubiquiti made up information in its financial reports in violation of U.S. law." Pera's handling of this "bears watching" as all this could "touch on the lingering question behind" Pera's wealth (TENNESSEAN.com, 11/4).
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM: In Miami, Walter Villa profiled Heat Senior VP/Basketball Operations & GM ANDY ELISBURG, who "never played competitive sports" and started with the club 30 years ago as a PR intern. Elisburg "rose through the ranks, contributing significantly to three NBA championships, primarily as a salary-cap guru." Being a part of the franchise since it was an expansion team was "clearly good fortune" for Elisburg. Roles "weren't as clearly defined at that time, and the Heat's small staff figured a lot out via trial and error" (MIAMI HERALD 11/4).
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS: Bruins Owner JEREMY JACOBS "will be inducted" into the Hockey HOF next Monday night in Toronto (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/5)....Baseball HOFer ORLANDO CEPEDA and A’s radio announcer KEN KORACH were inducted into the Jewish Sports HOF of Northern California on Saturday (SFCHRONICLE.com, 11/3)....A handful of sports figures made the '17 Ebony Power 100 list, including Gold Medal-winning U.S. runner ALLYSON FELIX, boxer FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR., Warriors F KEVIN DURANT, F1 driver LEWIS HAMILTON, Giants WR ODELL BECKHAM JR., Cowboys QB DAK PRESCOTT, Thunder G RUSSELL WESTBROOK, tennis player SLOANE STEPHENS, stock car driver TIA NORFLEET and ad firm Translation Founder & CEO STEVE STOUTE (EBONY.com, 11/3).
LOVE IS IN THE AIR: Astros P JUSTIN VERLANDER and KATE UPTON got married over the weekend at an “old church at the Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco resort in Italy” (TMZ.com, 11/4)....Tennis player CAROLINE WOZNIACKI recently got engaged to NBA free agent DAVID LEE. The couple has been “dating for over a year” now. This is her second engagement, having been “previously engaged to golfer RORY MCILROY almost four years ago” (TENNIS.com, 11/3).
NAMES: Actor KEVIN HART and model KARLIE KLOSS “completed their first” N.Y. Marathon yesterday. Hart “dressed in Nike apparel,” while Kloss “sported an entire look courtesy of Adidas by Stella McCartney” (FOOTWEARNEWS.com, 11/5)....Former Univ. of Texas athletes SEAN FOLEY and CHRIS OGDEN have launched Nine Banded Whiskey. Foley and Ogden "joined forces" with Austin Spirits President & Dir GARY CROWELL, a "visionary force behind Deep Eddy Vodka." They "plan to ship 4,000 cases" this year (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 11/1)....Patriots coach BILL BELICHICK “used the team’s bye week to raise $200,000 for the foundation that bears his name.” Belichick and girlfriend LINDA HOLLIDAY hosted his annual Hall of Fame Huddle at Seaport World Trade Center in Boston on Saturday. Guests included ESPN’s CHRIS BERMAN, former NFLers MATT LIGHT and JEROD MAYO, Patriots radio analyst SCOTT ZOLAK and “various other Pats players and coaches past and present” (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/5)....Dunkin’ Donuts hosted an event at Gillette Stadium on Thursday with the help of Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI and his older brother GORDIE. The event was part of the brand’s “Pats Win, You Win” promotion (THE DAILY).
IN MEMORY: Former Nets investor JOE TAUB “died on Oct. 27 in Manhattan” at the age of 88. Taub was “part of a syndicate" that acquired the Nets in '78. He was “often the most public member of the group of friends and associates -- nicknamed the Secaucus Seven -- and the one most identified with pursuing big-name coaches and success” in the NBA. Former NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN said, “He was a great, great fan of the sport. And he was intensely focused on the well-being of his players.” Taub was “considered the most aggressive investor among the team’s mostly cautious owners.” Former Nets President MICHAEL ROWE: "More than the other owners, he was the heart and soul of the Nets. He was relentless and impatient” (N.Y. TIMES, 11/6).
