BRETT FAVRE has invested both his money and name into the "development of a drug to treat concussions." Favre said that he has talked with NFL Chief Medical Officer DR. ALLEN SILLS about a drug "being developed" by Florida-based pharmaceutical company Prevacus, in which Favre is an investor. Favre also "helped recruit" Pro Football HOFers KURT WARNER and EDDIE DEBARTOLO JR., ESPN's MATT HASSELBECK and NFL Network's STEVE MARIUCCI to Prevacus’s sports advisory board. Having the "backing of big NFL names does not say anything about the drug’s usefulness; it is, though, a reflection of the heightened awareness and urgency around brain injuries in football" (SI.com, 11/7).
GIVING BACK: Raiders coach JACK DEL RIO's eponymous foundation yesterday hosted its "inaugural bocce ball tournament" in Fremont, Calif. The charity event was "designed to raise money for Hayward high schools, local Catholic Youth Organization athletics, the Special Olympics of Northern California and the Alameda County Sherriff Athletic League." The tournament "sold out of teams -- it was heavy four figures to compete" -- and had corporate sponsorship. Among those who made appearances were Raiders DE KHALIL MACK, QB DEREK CARR, Pro Football HOFer JOHN MADDEN and celebrity chef GUY FIERI (NBCSPORTS.com, 11/7)....Falcons DT DONTARI POE yesterday spent the day in Memphis "handing out" food through his Poeman's Dream Foundation. Poe said that he "intends to make the giveaway an annual event." He "worked through the Memphis Food Bank to coordinate it" (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 11/8).
ELECTION DAY: NBC Sports Ventures Senior VP ROB SIMMELKJAER last night lost a "tightly-contested race" in Westport, Conn. Simmelkjaer was looking to be second selectman under MELISSA KANE on the Democratic ticket (WESTPORT NEWS, 11/8)....Allegheny County Family Court Judge DWAYNE WOODRUFF, a former NFLer who won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in '79, lost his Democratic bid for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last night. Woodruff was "seeking to become the first black justice" to serve on the state's highest court since '08 (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 11/8).
NAMES: Adidas Dir of Global Sports Marketing JAMES GATTO and sports agent CHRISTIAN DAWKINS were among eight people "charged in three separate indictments filed in the Southern District of New York" yesterday as part of the FBI's probe into college hoops. RASHAN MICHEL, an apparel company owner and former NCAA official, and Adidas consultant MERL CODE were also indicted (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 11/8)....When the Univ. of Illinois "gave a large pay raise" a decade ago to then-AD RON GUENTHER, it "offered an example of the ever-increasing salary arms race to lure and keep college coaches and administrators." That raise also "quietly become an example of just how much the arms race can cost the state’s struggling pension funds years down the road, as Guenther’s annual university pension approaches $500,000 a year." After retiring from UI, Guenther "became a consultant for the Big Ten." The conference "declined to say how much he’s paid" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/8)....Among those in attendance at Monday night's Xbox One X launch event in N.Y. were SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, RONDA ROUSEY, ODELL BECKHAM JR. and Jets RB MATT FORTE (THE DAILY)....Former USMNT player BRIAN CHING is partnering with the Kirby Group to “build and operate a soccer bar and restaurant” in downtown Houston. The restaurant will be called Pitch 25 and is “scheduled to open next spring” (CHRON.com, 11/7).
IN MEMORY: YES Network Senior Technical Manager JOE SCHIAVO passed away over the weekend (THE DAILY).
