LANCE ARMSTRONG has agreed to pay $5M to the federal government to settle the "civil fraud lawsuit against him, just weeks before the case was scheduled to go to trial" with nearly $100M at stake. Armstrong will also pay $1.65M to former cyclist FLOYD LANDIS , who will receive $2.75M in total from the deal, including a $1.1M cut from the government's $5M. Landis was the "whistleblower who brought this case to the government's attention" in '10. The government originally sued Armstrong in '13 "on behalf of the U.S. Postal Service, which paid" $32.3M to sponsor Armstrong's cycling team from '00-04, much of which "went into Armstrong's pocket" ( USA TODAY, 4/20 ).
NAMES : JIM NANTZ will be given the Ambassador of Golf Award by Northern Ohio Golf Charities at Firestone Country Club on Aug. 1. The award is presented annually to a person who fosters the ideals of the game of golf on an international level ( PGA Tour ).... BARRY and MARY GOSSETT donated $21.25M to the Univ. of Maryland for the development of the Barry & Mary Gossett Center for Academic & Personal Excellence." Barry Gossett previously made a $10M donation to "help build the football 'team house' adjoining to Maryland Stadium that opened" in '07. Thursday's donation is "one of the largest in the school's history" ( WASHINGTON POST, 4/20 )....The Predators Foundation is "giving out grants" totalling more than $600,000. A total of 149 grants will be "distributed at a ceremony May 2 in Nashville," and the grants are the "largest one-time donation" in the history of the Predators Foundation, outpacing last year's previous mark of $515,000 ( AP, 4/20 )....A N.J. judged ruled that “memorabilia fraud claims” against Giants QB ELI MANNING will go to trial after his legal team “attempted to have the claims dismissed” ( N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/20 )....IndyCar driver SCOTT DIXON will “enter the realm of reality TV” when he auditions in Indianapolis for NBC’s “ AMERICAN NINJA WARRIOR .” IndyCar drivers HELIO CASTRONEVES , JOSEF NEWGARDEN and TONY KANAAN all “auditioned for the show.” None of them “advanced out of the first round and neither did NASCAR driver RICKY STENHOUSE JR .” ( AP, 4/19 ).
