Texas Tech AD KIRBY HOCUTT has agreed to an eight-year, $11.3M contract extension "designed to keep him in place" through '25 (LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, 12/16)....Auburn AD JAY JACOBS is "expected to receive at least $540,000 a year in state retirement when he steps down next year." A Retirement Systems of Alabama official said that the figure is "'unequivocally' the largest retirement ever." Jacobs will leave the school by June (Decatur HERALD & REVIEW, 12/18).
MOVING FORWARD: The Michigan State BOT on Friday "offered a vocal and financial vote of support" for President LOU ANNA SIMON in a boardroom that was "filled to capacity by several dozen protesters." Several trustees "commended Simon for her leadership in handling the fallout" from the case involving DR. LARRY NASSAR and the gymnastics program. The board also "approved a $150,000 raise for Simon." Simon is among several high-ranking Michigan State and USA Gymnastics officials "listed in civil lawsuits that allege they knew or should have known that a school physician was preying on girls and young women in Michigan for decades" (ESPN.com, 12/15)....Canada Women's Gymnastics Dir DAVE BRUBAKER on Friday was charged with multiple sexual offenses and has been placed on administrative leave (WASHINGTON POST, 12/17).
BOOK SHELF: The Wall Street Journal released its “12 Months Of Reading” feature asking celebs “what they loved” reading in ’17. Among those asked were KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, who enjoyed reading “WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER,” a selection of essays by TA-NEHISI COATES published in The Atlantic that paralleled PRESIDENT OBAMA’s tenure. ESPN.com’s KEITH LAW said that he “tore through ERIK MALINOWSKI’s ‘BETABALL,’ about the building” of the Warriors. Gold Medal-winning gymnast ALY RAISMAN said her favorite book was JAY ASHER’s “THIRTEEN REASONS WHY,” while tennis player COCO VANDEWEGHE mentioned TOM RINALDI’s “THE RED BANDANA: A LIFE, A CHOICE, A LEGACY,” which is about WELLES CROWTHER’s “extraordinary selflessness in the aftermath” of 9/11 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/16).
NAMES: A's OF DUSTIN FOWLER is “suing the White Sox and the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority for negligence after he suffered a serious knee injury” on June 29 at Guaranteed Rate Field while he was with the Yankees. Fowler is “seeking an unspecified amount of money for injuries incurred when he crashed into an unpadded electrical box in right-field foul territory” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 12/17)....A $15M fundraising campaign is “underway for a new performing arts center" at Alabama. The campaign, led by former AD BILL BATTLE and his wife, has raised more than $6.3M so far (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/15)....Former Rockets Owner LES ALEXANDER, Astros GM JEFF LUHNOW and Texans DE J.J. WATT will be among those honored at the inaugural Houston Sports Awards on Feb. 8 (Houston Sports Awards)....Panthers LB THOMAS DAVIS is helping to buy championship rings for Harding University High School, which “claimed the North Carolina 4A state championship last week.” Davis said that he and his wife “plan to donate thousands of dollars.” A GoFundMe campaign set up by the school had “raised about $5,000 of its $20,000 goal.” Davis said he and his wife would donate “the rest” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/16)....PEYTON MANNING is featured as the “voice of an animated movie character” in the new movie “FERDINAND,” which was released Friday (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/15)....Among those in attendance Friday at S.F. City Hall to “pay tribute” to late Mayor ED LEE were JOE MONTANA and BARRY BONDS (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/18)....Aly Raisman and Bruins F TIM SCHALLER dined together at Boston’s Empire Asian Restaurant and Lounge on Thursday (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/18).
IN MEMORY: Longtime Minneapolis Star Tribune sports editor BUD ARMSTRONG passed away last Monday at the age of 79. He worked on the paper’s sports desk for “44 years before retiring” in ’09 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/16).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL released it’s “12 Months Of Reading” feature asking celebrities “what they loved” reading in ’17. Among those asked was Basketball HOFer KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, who enjoyed reading TA-NEHISI COATES’ “WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER,” a selection of essays published in the Atlantic that paralleled PRESIDENT OBAMA’s tenure. Abdul-Jabbar: “He’s a brilliant diagnostician of America’s maladies but with a pessimistic prognosis for humanity in general.” ESPN.com’s KEITH LAW said that he “tore through ERIK MALINOWSKI’s ‘BEATBALL,’ about the building” of the Warriors. Law said it is a book “about changing a culture and challenging established norms.” Olympic Gold-Medal gymnast ALY RAISMAN said her favorite book was JAY ASHER’s “THIRTEEN REASONS WHY.” Raisman: “Everyone should read it to understand how words and actions can really hurt someone.” Tennis player COCO VANDEWEGHE mentioned TOM RINDALDI’s “THE RED BANDANA: A LIFE, A CHOICE, A LEGACY,” which is about WELLES CROWTHER’s “extraordinary selflessness in the aftermath” of 9/11 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/16).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL released it’s “12 Months Of Reading” feature asking celebrities “what they loved” reading in ’17. Among those asked was Basketball HOFer KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, who enjoyed reading TA-NEHISI COATES’ “WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER,” a selection of essays published in the Atlantic that paralleled PRESIDENT OBAMA’s tenure. Abdul-Jabbar: “He’s a brilliant diagnostician of America’s maladies but with a pessimistic prognosis for humanity in general.” ESPN.com’s KEITH LAW said that he “tore through ERIK MALINOWSKI’s ‘BEATBALL,’ about the building” of the Warriors. Law said it is a book “about changing a culture and challenging established norms.” Olympic Gold-Medal gymnast ALY RAISMAN said her favorite book was JAY ASHER’s “THIRTEEN REASONS WHY.” Raisman: “Everyone should read it to understand how words and actions can really hurt someone.” Tennis player COCO VANDEWEGHE mentioned TOM RINDALDI’s “THE RED BANDANA: A LIFE, A CHOICE, A LEGACY,” which is about WELLES CROWTHER’s “extraordinary selflessness in the aftermath” of 9/11 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/16).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL released it’s “12 Months Of Reading” feature asking celebrities “what they loved” reading in ’17. Among those asked was Basketball HOFer KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, who enjoyed reading TA-NEHISI COATES’ “WE WERE EIGHT YEARS IN POWER,” a selection of essays published in the Atlantic that paralleled PRESIDENT OBAMA’s tenure. Abdul-Jabbar: “He’s a brilliant diagnostician of America’s maladies but with a pessimistic prognosis for humanity in general.” ESPN.com’s KEITH LAW said that he “tore through ERIK MALINOWSKI’s ‘BEATBALL,’ about the building” of the Warriors. Law said it is a book “about changing a culture and challenging established norms.” Olympic Gold-Medal gymnast ALY RAISMAN said her favorite book was JAY ASHER’s “THIRTEEN REASONS WHY.” Raisman: “Everyone should read it to understand how words and actions can really hurt someone.” Tennis player COCO VANDEWEGHE mentioned TOM RINDALDI’s “THE RED BANDANA: A LIFE, A CHOICE, A LEGACY,” which is about WELLES CROWTHER’s “extraordinary selflessness in the aftermath” of 9/11 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/16).
