Univ. of Minnesota football coach P.J. FLECK has agreed to a new seven-year, $33.25M contract -- the "largest financial coaching commitment" in school history. If Fleck "leaves next year, he must repay" the university $10M, a number that drops to $4.5M the following year, and $3M in '22. UM has started the season 8-0 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/6)....Saints LB DEMARIO DAVIS yesterday in New Orleans "brought defense attorneys, advocacy groups and even exonerated citizens together for a Players Coalition forum at Corpus Christi Church to discuss the funding, or lack thereof, for public defenders." Davis is "calling for an increase in public defense funding" in the city's '20 budget (NOLA.com, 11/5)....The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court alleging Sharks F EVANDER KANE "failed to pay back $500,000 in gambling markers the casino extended to him in April" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 11/5)....Louisiana Gov. JOHN BEL EDWARDS was scheduled to speak to the LSU football team yesterday (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 11/5).
