NYRA to be Indicted: The New York Times reports today that the New York Racing Association, which operates horsetracks at Belmont and Saratoga, will be indicted today on charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and fraud. Under a deferred prosecution agreement, which is made for defendants showing good faith in correcting past mistakes, the NYRA will be allowed to continue operating its tracks and will pay a large fine. The indictment follows an investigation into the association after 19 mutuel clerks were convicted of tax evasion and money laundering.

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SLOC Case Dismissed: A US District Court judge has dismissed the charges against the two men accused of bribing Salt Lake City Olympic Committee officials, saying the prosecution had provided "insufficient evidence" and failed to prove its case. The charges had included bribery racketeering, fraud and conspiracy. The motion for a directed verdict was granted one day after the prosecution rested its case.

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Design for Lacrosse Stick Ruled Stolen: A federal jury in Worcester (MA) has awarded a verdict of $2 million to Brine, Inc., after it ruled that fellow lacrosse manufacturer STX misappropriated its design for a new lacrosse stick. Those familiar with the industry say that the verdict may be enough to bankrupt STX. The company continues to deny it stole the design and plans to appeal the verdict.

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Playmakers and the NFL: This is not yet legally-related, but I really hope that ESPN does not cave to the pressure of the NFL and cancel "Playmakers" for next season. The league has apparently not been happy with the show since its inception, as it dramatizes drug use, spousal abuse and a host of other problems in the context of an NFL locker room. On HBO last night, Paul Tagliabue again spoke out against the show, calling it a "gross mischaracterization of our sport."



There is some talk that the NFL will put pressure on ESPN to cancel the show or risk losing out on getting the valuable NFL television rights in the next contract phase. Gatorade has already pulled its advertising from the show, which some believe came after pressure from the NFL. I know that business is business, but if the show really is a fictionalized account, why should the NFL be worrying so much? Is it perhaps because the show hits a little closer to home than the league would like to admit?



Phil Taylor of SI.com comments here that the NFL should worry more about the actual players that inspired the drama, rather than the fictional characters. I have to say that I agree.



The Orange County register reports that the show is currently "in limbo" at this moment. (Link unavailable at this time- my apologies)

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More on Earnhardt: From FindLaw, an article on the Supreme Court declining to hear the appeal concerning the Earnhardt autopsy photos.



Update: The Supreme Court today held oral argument on a different case involving autopsy photos, this one concerning the photos of Vincent Foster, a former White House attorney. This is most likely the reason the Court declined to hear the Earnhardt case, as it would probably be largely repetitive.



The difference between the cases seems to be the right on which the claim is based. In the Foster case, the claimed right is the Freedom of Information Act and in the Earnhardt case it is the 1st Amendment right to freedom of the press.

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Disney Meets NASCAR: The Sports Business Daily (subscription required) is reporting that Disney has inked a deal with ISC to place Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck onto two Monte Carlos that will lead the parade lap at the beginning of the Daytona 500. This is the first time that Disney has allowed its characters to be placed on race cars, as the company has feared the damage to its image that could be done if the cars were involved in a bad crash. Having the cars be ceremonial eliminates this problem.



The deal also allows for the combination of some of the most lucrative intellectual property rights in the world: NASCAR, the Daytona 500, NASCAR's top race and Disney. To promote the deal, ISC and Disney will sell merchandise that combines NASCAR and Disney characters, which should make a lot of money.



In other NASCAR news, President Bush hosted nine of the top 10 finishers in the Winston (now Nextel) Cup at the White House.

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News Update: The Sports Business Daily (subscription needed) reported yesterday that North Carolina has passed a law that will make it a felony for a sports agent to furnish anything of value to a student-athlete prior to signing a contract. High schools and colleges could sue a sports agent who violates the regulations. This would be a very interesting development in the land of recruiting, and probably will keep a number of high school camps and competitions out of North Carolina. Good for those legislators, though.



The San Diego Tribune reported yesterday that the Chargers have sued the City of San Diego to get out of their lease at Qualcomm Stadium. This has effectively ended the negotiations between the team and the city, fueling speculation that the team could move to Los Angeles (the team currently has training camp at the Home Depot Center).



ESPN reports that tennis star Kim Clijsters will not participate in the Olympics because she will not be allowed to wear apparel from her own sponsor. It is hard to decide who is most wrong in this situation: Clijsters (for choosing money over national pride), Belgium (for choosing money over having is best athletes) or Fila and Adidas, which cannot put aside sponsor wars for 2 weeks for the sake of the Olympic Games. This is reminiscent of the spectacle at the 92 Olympics, where Nike-sponsored Dream Team members used American flags to cover their Reebok warm-up logos and sadly reminds us all how money-driven the "amateur" Olympics has become. You would think, though, if the NBA stars in Barcelona (and since then) can get around sponsor agreements, Clijsters would be able to.



ESPN also reported that the Supreme Court denied cert in a case from Florida concerning a student newspaper's First Amendment right to view the Dale Earnhardt autopsy photos. More to come on this case.



Finally, ESPN reported that Jim Harrick has requested a hearing to clear his name from the allegedly defamatory statements issued by the University of Georgia against its former men's basketball coach.

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