Smith is starting the program in his hometown of Ft. Wayne, Ind., and hopes to eventually take it to DallasGETTY IMAGES
Cowboys LB JAYLON SMITH is "launching the Jaylon Smith Minority Entrepreneurship Institute through his CEV Charitable Fund." Smith said that the program "aims to 'provide financial funding, strategic planning, and mentorship for minority entrepreneurs." Smith said that the program will "start in his hometown" of Ft. Wayne, Ind., and eventually move to Dallas. Smith also said that the "goal behind the program" is to "help minority businesses get their companies off the ground" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 7/31).
LITTLE HONOR: Steelers investor THOMAS TULL will be "enshrined into the Little League Hall of Excellence, the highest honor that organization bestows." Tull and MLB Commissioner ROB MANFRED are the "two inductees." Tull will be enshrined Aug. 26 before the Little League World Series championship in Williamsport, Pa. Tull will be one of "only 57 in the Hall of Excellence" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 7/31).
ZOOM, ZOOM: MARIO ANDRETTI is profiled in the WALL STREET JOURNAL's "House Call" feature, where he noted, "I live in Nazareth (Pa.) in a house that looks like a beautiful Mediterranean villa. My late wife, DEE ANN, and I built it in 1998 on 27 acres. I love spending time in the garages on either side of our house. I have nine cars in all, including a Lamborghini and a Corvette" (WSJ.com, 7/31).
CLEARED OF WRONGDOING: An internal review found Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK "did not enrich himself improperly and ignore shareholders' interests by seeking through his separate real estate firm" to turn Port Covington in Baltimore into a "waterfront community anchored by" a new global HQ for the company. UA shareholder SCOTT KING asked the UA board to "review the purchase of parcels" along the Patapsco River (BALTIMORE SUN, 8/1).
NAMES: The WILF FAMILY is "proposing a 17-story tower with 201 apartments on a parking lot that is one of the last undeveloped sites" in downtown Minneapolis (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/1)....20th Century Fox is in "early development on a prequel" to the '93 movie "THE SANDLOT." Details on the plot are "under wraps," but it may involve the "legend of the beast from the first iteration" (DEADLINE.com, 7/31)....New Oakland Univ. AD STEVE WATERFIELD "will earn $237,000 annually under a three-year contract," according to a FOI request. Waterfield's predecessor, Northeastern AD JEFF KONYA, "earned about $210,000 a year under a five-year contract he signed last June" (DETROITNEWS.com, 7/31)....ESPN’s SAM PONDER wrote on Instagram that her newborn daughter, PRICE, is “recovering after a ‘series of terrifying and sudden events’ required that she have emergency surgery last week” (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 7/31)….Live streaming platform SportsCastr sold a minority stake to the NFLPA. Law firm O’Melveny represented SportsCastr in the deal (THE DAILY).
IN MEMORY: Longtime Charlotte Observer NASCAR reporter TOM HIGGINS died yesterday at the age of 80. Higgins covered the sport at the Observer from ’64-97 and in ’15 was the fourth recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence (AP, 7/31)….Former Saints Sales Account Exec CHRIS CORDARO died Monday at the age of 39 after a battle with cancer. Cordaro joined the Saints in ’05 as a ticket sales account exec and was promoted in ’08 to corporate sponsorship sales. He stayed with the team after he began his battle with high grade neuroendocrine carcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer (NOLA.com, 7/31).
