Gazette Daily News Podcast: Wednesday, April 24, 2024

– Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

– Iowa City man sentenced to 12 years for illegally possessing gun that toddler found

– Audit finds risk, consequences within UNI’s Compliance and Equity Management Office

Episode Transcript

Coming up, Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new 8-year Nike deal valued at $28 million

And later, an Iowa City man is sentenced to 12 years for illegally possessing a gun that a toddler fatally shot himself with

Plus, a critical audit of University of Northern Iowa’s Office of Compliance and Equity Management found risk and consequences

Welcome to the Wednesday, April 24 edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Caitlin Clark may be setting another record, but this time it’s off the basketball court. Clark was drafted to the Indiana Fever earlier this month. Now, she’s expected to continue her association with Nike with a $28 million contract that spans eight years and includes a signature shoe. The deal would be the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player. The pending deal was reported by The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic and cited unnamed people familiar with negotiations between Clark and Nike. Clark’s agents were working on the new Nike contract prior to Clark even announcing she would turn pro. Clark’s initial name, image and likeness deal expired at the end of the 2023-24 season. According to On3.com, Clark earned about $3 million in NIL money during her time at University of Iowa.

According to the WSJ and Athletic, Under Armor, Adidas and Puma have showed interest in Clark. Under Armour and Adidas participated in contract discussions with Clark’s team in February. Under Armour offered Clark a deal for $16 million over four years. Adidas offered $6 million over four years. Both included a signature shoe.

Next, in 2022 a 3-year-old boy fatally shot himself in the face in Coralville. Now, the man who had the gun in his possession has been sentenced. 34-year-old Chris Lee Gordon pleaded guilty to one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a felon in possession of ammunition. The other two charges he faced were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Gordon had previously been convicted of firearms and domestic violence charges. According to court documents, Gordon went to a female friend’s apartment in Coralville after drinking at a club on July 2, 2022. The next day around noon, the friend’s 3-year-old child Damari Sanders found the loaded pistol and shot himself in the left eye. According to the plea agreement, Gordon and the child’s mother found the injured toddler in the hallway with the pistol on the floor next to him. Gordon picked up the gun and ran out of the apartment.

In her sentencing document, Assistant U.S. Attorney Melisa Zaehringer said quote, “Defendant did not stop to render aid to the child nor offer assistance to the child’s traumatized mother. The actions of the defendant caused grave consequences of loss of life.” end quote. The child died that evening at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

After Gordon fled the apartment, he ran toward the Coralville Strip on Highway 6 and threw the pistol on the rooftop of Caribou Coffee where it wasn’t found until August 17. That’s when workers who were on the roof saw it and called police. By then, Gordon had been arrested July 24 during a traffic stop. A loaded firearm was also found in the car, according to the plea.

Gordon was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison with the convictions running concurrently. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Next, an audit of the University of Northern Iowa’s Office of Compliance and Equity Management found serious shortcomings that could quote “expose the university to unacceptable risks” end quote. The office is responsible for making sure UNI offers equal education opportunities and complies with state and federal laws like Title IX and affirmative action. The audit found that UNI’s compliance office director quote “reports only to the president for all responsibilities” end quote. The audit stressed that cross-campus collaboration is necessary to efficiently carry out the office’s responsibilities. Auditors also cited budget concerns with the office. They uncovered deficits totaling nearly $400,000 over the last five years. Both the 2021 and 2023 budget years exceeded $100,000 alone.

The audit said this averages out to a nearly $80,000 deficit per year on an average annual budget of nearly $410,000, or 20 percent overspending. Despite a 16 percent increase in the budget over the past five years, the deficits have grown. The audit said quote, “Despite these continued deficits, no formalized plan has been created to align budgeting practices and spending.” end quote. The audit reported that management has promised changes going forward.

The audit also found outdated language, incorrect references and inconsistencies within the office’s campus policies quote “resulting in non-compliance” end quote. Again, the audit hammered home the need to collaborate with other campus officials and offices. It said management should establish an annual policy review process that includes consultation with other university officials. The reviews would provide consistency across policies and accurate representation of legal requirements and university expectations.

The audit comes as all three of Iowa’s public universities are implementing 10 diversity, equity and inclusion quote unquote “directives” imposed by the Board of Regents last fall. The changes came after widespread criticism and questions from Republican lawmakers about how much effort and money campuses put towards DEI. One of the directives requires universities to eliminate DEI functions not necessary for compliance or accreditation. Another mandates the review of DEI positions and services to ensure they’re necessary. Lawmakers asked universities in February 2023 how many DEI or social justice staff members they each had. University of Iowa reported 44, Iowa State University reported 64 and UNI reported 21. None of UNI’s 21 staff members were listed as working in the Compliance and Equity Management Office.

Find a link to each of today’s featured stories in this episode’s description or at thegazette.com.

Now let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids. Today will be sunny. Expect a high of 62 degrees and a low of 38 degrees. Thursday will be partly cloudy. Anticipate a high of 67 degrees and a low of 48 degrees.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay updated with the latest Eastern Iowa news at thegazette.com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com