McKibben was charged for seeking a $50,000 payment for negotiating the Coliseum's naming rightsGETTY MAGES
The Alameda County (Calif.) district attorney has "filed criminal charges" against former Oakland Coliseum Authority Exec Dir SCOTT MCKIBBEN for "allegedly violating state conflict-of-interest laws while negotiating the naming rights of the stadium." McKibben was "charged with a felony and misdemeanor count of violating conflict-of-interest laws by seeking a $50,000 payment for helping negotiate a settlement for the Coliseum naming rights with RingCentral." In August, McKibben "abruptly resigned amid questions about a possible conflict of interest in the naming rights deal" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/4).
COURT REPORT: The Minnesota Supreme Court yesterday "rejected an appeal" by three former coaches at the Univ. of Minnesota Duluth, "tying up one loose end in the discrimination lawsuit launched" in '15. Women's hockey coach SHANNON MILLER, softball coach JEN BANFORD and women's basketball coach ANNETTE WILES have "alleged discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation, among other allegations" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/4).
CALM, COLD & COLLECTED: Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN this week appeared on KEVIN HART's YouTube series, "COLD AS BALLS." Hart said he "didn't know a person that loves sports more" than Cuban. Hart: "You not only do it right, but you changed the way owners look at owning a team." Cuban said "absolutely" that was on purpose because when he bought the Mavericks in '00, "owners just stood on the sidelines, wrote the checks, everybody told me to shut up and I was like, 'No, I'm just going to be myself. I'm going to do my thing.' I've been a basketball junkie my entire life and that's the way I'm going to run the Mavs." Hart said what he "loves most" about Cuban is "that you are unapologetically you" ("Cold as Balls," YouTube.com, 12/3).
NAMES: Sabres players yesterday gifted a new snowmobile to Assistant Equipment Manager GEORGE BABCOCK, who worked his 2,000th career NHL game on Nov. 21 (BUFFALO NEWS, 12/3)....Orioles 1B TREY MANCINI on Sunday hosted the Purple Tailgate charity benefit outside M&T Bank Stadium. Former player ADAM JONES had "hosted his annual #StayHungry Purple Tailgate Party for the past six years" (BALTIMORE SUN, 12/4)....Saints players DEMARIO DAVIS, CAM JORDAN and THOMAS MORSTEAD announced a $50,000 grant from the Players Coalition for the Rooted School in New Orleans yesterday (NOLA.com, 12/3)....Former Red Sox players RICH GEDMAN, DAVID ORTIZ, MANNY RAMIREZ and the late BILL DINNEEN have been selected as inductees to the team's HOF class for '20. Former GM DAN DUQUETTE was selected as the non-uniformed inductee (Red Sox)....DARIUS RUCKER "will perform a pre-race concert" for February's Daytona 500 (AP, 12/3)....DC Mayor MURIEL BOWSER will be the keynote speaker at Monumental Sports & Entertainment's Sports Capital Symposium from Sept. 17-18, 2020 (MSE)....Chiefs coach ANDY REID was a "special guest" last week on Food Network's "DINERS, DRIVE-INS AND DIVES" (K.C. STAR, 12/4).
