Knicks Claim NBA "Harassment"

Knicks Say There’s a Target On Their Backs Due to “Opposition” to NBA Matters

November 20, 2024

Good morning! Knicks claim harassment; plus, a ton more coach firings

Knicks Say NBA Is Out to Get Them After Latest League Probe
FOS’ Alex Schiffer writes, “This summer, Jalen Brunson essentially gave the Knicks a nine-figure discount by agreeing to a four-year, $156 million extension instead of waiting a year to sign a five-year, $270 million deal. In the same offseason, the team promoted Jalen’s father, Rick, a longtime NBA coach, to its lead assistant role after Johnnie Bryant left for the Cavaliers.

“The NBA is apparently investigating whether Rick Brunson’s promotion was an illegal benefit to the Brunson family, and the Knicks took that personally.”

MSG Sports issued a statement Monday night that read, in part, “We see this as more harassment of the Knicks due to our opposition to certain NBA matters.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Netflix Stock Jumps Following Paul-Tyson Bout
According to Barron’s via SBJ, Netflix shares "recovered from an earlier dip" yesterday, riding the momentum of the streaming service’s "biggest live sports event to date" -- the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight on Friday night. While the stream "suffered from technical glitches," it appears the success of the live event is "starting to win over investors." The stock opened at $815.10 yesterday and dropped 1% in early trading but rallied to close up 2.8% at $847.05.
^{Barron’s via Sports Business Journal}

U.S. Soccer Announces $30 Million Donation From Michele Kang Wowards U.S. Women's and Girls' Soccer
Yahoo Sports’ Kari Anderson writes, “Businesswoman Michele Kang has done it again, putting in another major investment toward women's sports. U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that Kang has made a $30 million donation to the federation in order to support its women's and girls' soccer programs. Kang will donate the amount over the course of five years.”

U.S. Soccer plans to double the number of national camps, growing the number to six camps per age group within the youth national teams. The donation will allow U.S. Soccer to bring 100,000 players into the youth national team pipeline, 12 times as many as it can currently accommodate.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Michael Jordan Invests in Courtside Ventures’ Next $100M Fund
According to Sportico, Michael Jordan is investing in Courtside Ventures, a VC fund focused on sports, lifestyle, and gaming, though it’s unclear the amount of the investment.

The billionaire has invested in Courtside’s current round, business partner Curtis Polk said in a text message. In June, Courtside filed a Form D with the SEC outlining its plans to raise $100 million for its fourth fund. It previously raised about $190 million total across its first three funds.
^Sportico

NFL Owners Considering New Brady Rules After Mahomes Interview
SBJ’s Ben Fischer writes, “The NFL’s rules to prevent conflicts of interest for Fox Sports analyst and Raiders minority owner Tom Brady may be expanding in the wake of Brady’s Oct. 20 interview with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes that aired during Fox NFL Sunday, sources said.

“Beginning at a meeting of the finance committee today, some owners will be asked whether they are OK with these sorts of interviews going forward, and if so, whether additional conditions need to be created to ensure Brady does not receive information he shouldn’t as a Raiders partner.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Shaun White’s New Halfpipe League to Air on NBC, Peacock
White announced earlier this year that he was putting together The Snow League, a four-stop circuit that will feature halfpipe snowboarding and freeskiing. On Tuesday, the league and NBC revealed that the first event is set for March 7-8 in Aspen, with the rest of the schedule still to be announced. The debut in Aspen will come 11 months before the start of the Winter Olympics in Italy, also set to be carried by NBC and its streaming service, Peacock.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Pac-12 Taps Octagon as Media Rights Strategy Advisor
The Pac-12 formally announced that it has chosen Octagon as its agency of record to advise the conference on its media rights strategy through its rebuild. Octagon will lead the overall media rights package, negotiations, distribution opportunities, etc., in partnership with Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. The Pac-12’s former media rights deal with ESPN and Fox began in 2012 and was worth $250M. ESPN offered $30M per school annually and walked away when the conference countered with $50M.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Marlins Introduce Clayton McCullough as the Ideal Fit For Their Rebuilding Franchise
AP News’ Alanis Thames writes, “After spending the past several seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton McCullough has seen what it takes to win.

“McCullough, hired this month by the Miami Marlins as the 17th manager in club history, only needed a few conversations with Marlins executives before he felt he could help lead this organization in that same direction.”
^{AP News}

Charlotte Fires Football Coach Biff Poggi After He Went 6-12 in Two Seasons
Charlotte coach Biff Poggi was fired on Monday after going 6-16 in two seasons. The team lost 59-24 to South Florida on Saturday, its fourth loss by 30 or more points this season. The 49ers (3-7) have lost four straight games since beating East Carolina 55-24 on Oct. 6.

The school said it would conduct a national search for a new coach. Associate head coach Tim Brewster will serve as interim coach for the remaining two games of the season.
^{AP News}

Genoa Fires Coach Gilardino and Reportedly Lines Up Viera to Replace Him
Genoa surprisingly fired coach Alberto Gilardino on Tuesday and reportedly already has Patrick Vieira lined up to replace him — which the AP points out could have implications for new forward Mario Balotelli.

Gilardino initially took charge of Genoa on an interim basis in December 2022 but was given the job permanently following a string of positive results. In his first season coaching in the top flight, he steered the team to an impressive 11th-place finish. However, Genoa struggled at the beginning of this season following the departures of star forwards Mateo Retegui and Albert Guðmundsson, and the injuries started mounting up.
^{AP News}

Jets Fire GM Joe Douglas Amid 3-8 Season: Why New York Moved On Now
The New York Jets have fired general manager Joe Douglas, who was in his sixth season as the GM, the team announced Tuesday. Senior football adviser Phil Savage will be the interim GM for the rest of the Jets’ season. The move comes two days after the Jets fell to 3-8 following a one-point loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and six weeks after the team parted ways with coach Robert Saleh.
^{The Athletic}

Pinellas County Commission Delays Vote on Rays Ballpark Funding
In what seems like a never-ending saga, Pinellas County commissioners voted 6-1 to "delay the financing vote" for a new Rays ballpark "again, this time to Dec. 17," according to Jack Evans of the TAMPA BAY TIMES via SBJ. Rays co-Presidents Matt Silverman and Brian Auld wrote a letter stating that the county’s "delay of the financing vote has made the planned opening of a new ballpark in 2028 impossible" and that the team could "not afford the higher costs that would accompany a 2029 opening." However, Commissioner Brian Scott "proposed another delay to the vote," as he believes that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg "either wants out of the deal or wants to renegotiate, and to hang the potential failure on the county commission -- particularly its newly elected members."
^{Tampa Bay Times via Sports Business Journal}

New Era of College Football Could Help Other Teams Replicate Indiana’s Remarkable Rise
AP News’ Steve Megaree writes, “Indiana has made the type of turnaround that had only happened once before at the power-conference level over the last decade. But this new era of college football with unbalanced schedules and loosened transfer restrictions might make such dramatic transformations more common.”

“I think any P4 school with the proper commitment is capable of being successful and being ultimately successful because really the difference between victory and defeat in most of these games is very slight, slim,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said.
^{AP News}

Dabo Swinney Says the Impending College Football Roster Cap is 'The Worst Thing in My Whole Coaching Career'
“It’s very simple, first of all you know who definitely has to leave so that makes it easy and basically anybody that’s a fourth-year that you know you’re not coming back — obviously we have to cut a lot of guys this year,” Swinney said. “It’s terrible. It’s the worst thing in my whole coaching career … but we’ve gotta cut a bunch of kids that have been in our program. I’ve given all of them an option if they are a fourth-year then they have the option to be honored as a senior. They’ve earned that. And some of these kids would be back for their fifth year next year and they’re not going to have the opportunity to do that and that’s sad. That’s the way it is.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

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