From FBI Case to Job Promotions

In 2017, four college hoops coaches were being investigated by the FBI. Now they’re in the Sweet 16, getting job promotions, and more.

March 25, 2025

Texas and NC State Slam Door on College Basketball FBI Case
Front Office Sports’ Alex Schiffer writes, “In 2017 they were being investigated by the FBI. Now they’re in the Sweet 16, getting job promotions—and in one case getting sent home early. 

“On Sunday, Will Wade officially became the head coach of North Carolina State after leading McNeese State to its second NCAA Tournament in as many years, which included a first-round upset over Clemson on Thursday, Wade’s alma mater.”
^{Front Office Sports}

The UFL Has National Momentum for Year 2. Can it Grow Locally?
SBJ’s Ben Fischer writes, “On May 12, 2024, the fledgling United Football League’s San Antonio Brahmas beat the Houston Roughnecks, 15-12, on a 51-yard field goal as time expired. It was the kind of drama the new league could have only hoped for. But not enough people watched. Attendance at Rice Stadium was 6,134 fans, with another 572,000 viewers tuning in on ESPN. One week later, the UFL staged another exciting game decided in the final minutes, with the St. Louis Battlehawks defeating the D.C. Defenders, 26-21. But this time, the audience included a robust 32,403 in person at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, and more than 1.05 million on ABC.

As the eight-team UFL prepares to launch its second season since the USFL-XFL merger on March 28, executives know the league’s long-term survival depends on getting numbers a lot closer to the game in St. Louis than the one in Houston.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Silver Lake Completes Acquisition of Endeavor, Forms WME Group
Endeavor’s stretch as a public company has officially come to an end after nearly four years. The company announced on Monday morning that Silver Lake and its partners have acquired 100% of Endeavor’s outstanding shares, not including rolled interests.

Shareholders will be paid $27.50 per share, as originally announced last April. The company’s shares will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Report: StubHub Seeks Over $1B in IPO Amid Market Uncertainty
While StubHub did not disclose the size or price range of its proposed initial public offering, the company “would seek to raise more than” $1B -- “implying a market value of about” $16.5B, according to sources cited by George Steer of the FINANCIAL TIMES via LA Times and SBJ. StubHub plans to list its common stock on the N.Y. Stock Exchange under the symbol STUB, with JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs acting as “lead underwriters” for the offering. StubHub’s filing comes as President Donald Trump’s trade agenda “roils US equities, fanning concerns about slower economic growth and doubts about the revival of the IPO market after a three-year drought induced by higher interest rates”
^{Financial Times, LA Times, Sports Business Journal}

Karl Ravech Still Optimistic About MLB Remaining With ESPN After 2025 Season
“I don’t think ESPN being in what may be its final year of ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ becomes any part of our story,” longtime baseball voice Karl Ravech said on a media call. “Our story is to tell the story of the players and teams. There are very smart people that are trying to figure out ways to move forward with Major League Baseball. That’s way above my pay grade to negotiate that, but I’m very optimistic about ESPN and Major League Baseball’s future.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

NBC Seeks $7 Million for 2026 Super Bowl Commercials in Early Ad Talks (EXCLUSIVE)
Variety’s Brian Steinberg writes, “The kickoff to Super Bowl LX is nearly a year away, but NBCUniversal is already at work trying to tackle ad dollars for the glitzy sports event. NBCU has already indicated it will seek around $7 million for a 30-second commercial roost in the Big Game, according to media buyers and other people familiar with early conversations.”
^Variety

Iowa Reportedly Agrees to Make Drake's Ben McCollum Next Hawkeyes Coach
The Hawkeyes are set to hire Drake coach Ben McCollum to replace Fran McCaffery, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello via Yahoo Sports.

McCollum spent just one season at Drake as the Bulldogs won the Missouri Valley Conference and upset Missouri in the NCAA tournament before losing to Texas Tech in the second round on Saturday.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Minnesota Hiring Colorado State’s Niko Medved as Next Men’s Basketball Coach
The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton writes, “To jolt its men’s basketball program from a malaise roughly 15 years long, Minnesota is doing a very Minnesotan thing: turning to one of its own.

“Colorado State’s Niko Medved, who was born in Minneapolis and is a graduate of suburban Roseville High School and the state’s flagship university, has been hired as the Gophers’ next head coach, a source briefed on the discussions confirmed.”
^{The Athletic}

Spirit’s Krikorian Stepping Down as GM & President
Washington Spirit GM & President of Soccer Operations Mark Krikorian has “stepped down” after three years in his role with the NWSL club. Krikorian in a statement said that his three-year contract with the Spirit “finished in February and, after consideration over the winter, he approached owner Y. Michele Kang with his decision to step down at the conclusion of his deal.” Krikorian was the “architect of the Washington Spirit’s rise to the top ranks of the NWSL.”
^{Washington Post via Sports Business Journal}

Bears Name Former Big Ten Exec Laura Anderson Their CFO
The Bears named Laura Anderson their senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer Monday. She’d served in a similar role at the Big Ten, which is where current Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren worked before joining the Bears two years ago. She’ll oversee finances and accounting for the team at a time where it is preparing to build a new stadium either in Arlington Heights or downtown Chicago.
^{Chicago Sun Times}

MLB Preview: Mets are Talk of the Town
Since purchasing the team for $2.4 billion in November 2020, Cohen has spent more than $1.3 billion combined on payroll ($1.1 billion) and luxury taxes (more than $200 million) through 2024, while leading the majors in spending for three straight seasons, according to the Associated Press. This year, the Mets are slated to head into Opening Day with a 40-man competitive balance tax payroll of over $326 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, second to the Dodgers.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Sutter Health Park Shows Off Upgrades for A’s
Sutter Health Park’s renovation for the A’s “got a soft launch” over the weekend ahead of hosting its first regular-season game -- the team’s home opener on March 31. The S.F. Giants and their Triple-A affiliate River Cats “got the first shot to play on pristine, checkerboard-pattern grass that borderlines on high tech.”

For the players, the “more important new structure” in the outfield “is the batter’s eye.” The previous batter’s eye was set well back behind the outfield wall, but now there’s “a sizeable, Fenway-green rectangle right at the edge of the fence in center.”
^{SF Chronicle via Sports Business Journal}

Orlando Sports Commission Looking to Draw Major WWE, UFC Events
The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is “making an effort to draw” WWE and UFC events to the region, according to Ryan Lynch of the ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL via SBJ. The organization on Monday had its request for an $18M grant over a multiyear period in tourist development tax funds advanced by the Tourist Development Tax Sports Incentive Committee.
^{Orlando Business Journal via Sports Business Journal}

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Rutgers Transfer Sues NCAA to Extend Football Eligibility
Sportico’s Michael McCann writes, “Safety Jett Elad is looking to play football for his fourth university and the chance to land a $500,000 NIL deal. In order to do that, he is taking the NCAA to court.

“Elad, who turns 24 next month, joins a growing list of seasoned college athletes who litigate their exhaustion of NCAA eligibility. These cases have led to conflicting outcomes, with some athletes gaining injunctions and others coming up short.”
^Sportico

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