Michael Irvin has not been back on the NFL Network since February and remains under suspension after being named in a lawsuit claiming that he sexually harassed a female staff member at an Arizona hotel during Super Bowl week. Is the NFL behind him as the court case moves forward or distancing itself from the situation?
Bob Huggins, former head coach of West Virginia Basketball, says he has not resigned after being arrested for drunk driving and using inflammatory language in a radio interview. The university has let him go after receiving a resignation letter from an email account belonging to his wife, but he claims he never resigned and demands his job back. Will West Virginia reinstate him, or is a legal standoff on the horizon?
Northwestern has suspended football coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks without pay amid a scandal regarding a culture of hazing running rife within the program. During the investigation, the university newspaper published an article detailing many incidents in which different forms of hazing have taken place. Fitzgerald claims he didn’t know about it, but isn’t a head coach responsible for maintaining a safe environment for his players, including having an ear to the ground to keep such things from occurring in the first place? What about the rest of the coaching staff that spends the most time with the athletes? Will terminations ensue?
The LA Times is paring down its dedicated sports section of the newspaper and has decided to stop publishing standings or box scores. Is this doing a disservice to fans and stunting the educational aspects for kids – reading and math skills – that following a team and having an interest in sports can bring?
Showtime is running a historical program in which Wilt Chamberlain, through the technology of AI, is commenting on recent events even though he died in 1998. Is that just one of the many looming “Brave New World” aspects of AI that will open the door for legal battles with the families and estates for the rights to the images and voices of people who have passed on?
Email Fred, Art, and Mark with questions and comments at sportsfred@aol.com
