Tepper's organization will also give aid to high school athletic programs impacted by FlorenceGETTY IMAGES
The NFL Panthers and Owner DAVID TEPPER have created an "initial relief package intended to help victims of Hurricane Florence." The package includes $1M that will "go to the American Red Cross." Most will go toward "helping fund its financial assistance program in the Carolinas that provides people in shelters with stipends and gift cards to help them transition back to their lives." The team will also give $450,000 to "regional food banks by providing 25,000 emergency food packs." They will also give "additional aid to high school athletic programs impacted by storm damage." The Panthers said that staff and players will "participate in service projects to benefit impacted areas." #CAREolina T-shirts will be "available at the Panthers team store and stadium merchandise shops" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/21). Meanwhile, N.C. State men's basketball coach KEVIN KEATTS decided to "partner with the United Way of North Carolina to help deliver clothes to those affected in the eastern part of the state by flooding and damage of Florence" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/21).
COME TOGETHER: PeacePlayers Int'l on Thursday hosted its inaugural Night of Unity at The Players’ Tribune's HQ in N.Y. The event honored longtime sports agent RON SHAPIRO, who also serves as Chair Emeritus of the PeacePlayers BOD and is a strategic partner/investor in MENTOR. Villanova men's basketball coach JAY WRIGHT, one of the event's honorary co-Chairs along with Basketball HOFer BILL RUSSELL, spoke to the crowd of more than 250, as did participants from the PeacePlayers program in Israel. Russell provided a video tribute (THE DAILY).
HONORS & AWARDS: COLIN KAEPERNICK is among eight people being honored by Harvard for their "contributions to black history and culture." All eight recipients of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal will be "honored Oct. 11 by the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard" (AP, 9/20)....Gold Medal-winning skier BODE MILLER, Silver Medal-winning skier ANDREW WEIBRECHT and former U.S. Ski & Snowboard VP/Communications TOM KELLY will be inducted into the U.S Ski & Snowboard HOF (VAILDAILY.com, 9/20)....Former Virginia Tech football coach FRANK BEAMER will receive the '19 Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award for "contributions to college football on and off the field" (DAILYPRESS.com, 9/21).
NAMES: The Univ. of North Texas received a $3M gift for its athletic department on Thursday, "marking the second time this month the school has set a new bar for gifts benefiting its athletic program." The money will go toward construction of UNT's new indoor practice facility as well as other capital improvement projects for the school's athletics program" (DENTONRC.com, 9/20)....Former MLS player NOAH PALMER, now an exec with Gap, will take the lead as the company is “preparing to roll out a line of athleisure wear for men,” including "premium activewear brand called Hill City in mid-October" (CNBC.com, 9/20)....A trading card from '80 featuring MAGIC JOHNSON and LARRY BIRD “fetched a record-breaking $125,000 in an auction coordinated by PWCC Marketplace on eBay Wednesday night” (DAILYNEWS.com, 9/20).
