Everett Welcomes Indoor Football League

Global Spectrum announced today the Indoor Football League’s Everett Raptors will play their inaugural season at the Comcast Arena at Everett.
“We are pleased to add the Everett Raptors to our roster here at Comcast Arena at Everett,” commented Global Spectrum’s Kim Bedier, General Manager for the Comcast Arena. “Everett and Snohomish County have the best sports fans and I’m sure they will welcome this newest addition.”
“We are thrilled that the Raptors have chosen to locate in Everett,” Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson said. “Football fans are in for a treat with this new team. They will get fun, fast-paced football -- and all of it from a great seat right at the Comcast Arena.”
The game is exciting, fast paced, high scoring, up-close and personal, and in your face football. “Everett was an obvious choice for our team given the success in drawing crowds seen with the other teams that call Everett home,” stated Mike Barry, General Manager of Northwest Pro Sports. “The Everett Raptors are looking forward to being highly successful on and off the field. We look forward to being part of numerous outreach and community organizations with an emphasis on families and youth.”
The team’s front office is led by General Manager Mike Barry, a 22-year Snohomish County resident and Captain of the Lake Stevens Fire Department, as well as Director of Operations and game day productions, Jim Granacker.
Coach Sean Ponder brings thirteen years of coaching experience to the field from both the Arena Football League and the Indoor Football League. Coach Ponder will oversee the coaching staff including Offensive Line Coach, Ryan Lippincott, former Center at Western Washington University, and US Army vet, Mike Crecelius, former player and coach for the Snohomish County Vikings and Cascade High School.
The 2012 season home schedule is expected to be released within the next few weeks.
The Everett Raptors are settling into the community, including opening a local downtown office. Season ticket reservations are being accepted now by calling the Comcast Arena at 425.322.2645 or visiting the Everett Raptors website at www.everettraptors.com. Single game tickets are expected to go on sale in January 2012.
Indoor Football League (IFL) mission statement is “To consistently serve our guests, partners, and our homes at the highest possible level and to do so with integrity, kindness, affordability, and passion on the field, in our front offices, and around the communities in which we play.” The fast-paced, hard-hitting entertainment has become a favorite since the IFL began in 2003 and developed into its current establishment.
The Raptors join other Comcast Arena tenants, the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips, 2010 National Lacrosse League Champions the Washington Stealth, and Tilted Thunder Roller Derby.

IFL Announces New Mexico Stars

The Indoor Football League announced today that they have accepted into the league for the 2012 season, the New Mexico Stars. The Stars will call the Santa Ana Star Center, in the city of Rio Rancho, home for the 2012 season and beyond.

“We have had an amazing response from the City of Rio Rancho, the Santa Ana Star Center and the Santa Ana Star Casino,” said Stars General Manager Dart Clark. “We feel that New Mexico will be a perfect match for the League and the New Mexico Stars Team. The area has a strong football heritage, and it is our hope to bring a first class operation to the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho area.”

The Stars also announced today their first ever Head Coach, IFL Veteran coach Chris Williams, formerly of the West Texas Roughnecks. Williams has won a league championship, in 2006, and was the head coach when the team set the record for longest regular season winning streak in professional football history at 27 games. In his eight seasons as Head Coach, the Roughnecks made the playoffs seven times. “I am excited to be staying in the IFL,” said Williams. “My family and I are excited to be moving to New Mexico and starting this new chapter of our lives. I am looking forward to building a competitive, winning team with the Stars, and am excited to be playing in one of the nicer arenas in the league in the Star Center.”

“We are confident that we have the right owners and the right league in place to bring our new team success,” said Star Center GM Gunnar Fox. “We are looking forward to our first season of play in 2012.”

“We are excited about how the Stars fit into our regional alignment out west,” stated League Commissioner Tommy Benizio. “We are continually working on building a group of strong, close playing partners for our western teams, New Mexico fits our plans perfectly.”

The Stars will be having their introductory press conference on October 20, 2011, with the team’s first open player tryout on October 29^th. For more information regarding the press conference and the tryout please contact the Stars front office at 505-891-7318.

The Indoor Football League was created in 2008 from a merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football Association. The league’s fourth season is set to kick off in the Spring of 2012. For more information about all things IFL log on to www.GoIFL.com or contact the league office, (804)643-7277.

Storm's Head Coach and General Manager Forwarded Porn, Racist E-mails at Work

The coach and general manager of the Tampa Bay Storm spent time on his work computer viewing potentially pornographic and racist e-mails that were sent to him and he later forwarded, according to a Hillsborough County Court deposition released Thursday.
The organization announced that it is going to hold an internal investigation into Tim Marcum's computer practices.
Bill Wickett, vice president of communications for Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment, said in a statement company officials were disappointed to learn the news but wouldn't have any further comment. Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment owns the Storm and the Tampa Bay Lighting.
The pornography and racist e-mails became public after Marcum was deposed on Tuesday in a lawsuit involving him and the team's former owner Robert Nucci.
Marcum was being deposed after filing a lawsuit against Nucci for back wages.
Nucci, who bought the team in 2007, also filed a lawsuit last year against Marcum and businessman Woody Kern, a former owner of the Storm. Nucci contends that both men knew the league was financially floundering and kept the information from him.
Marcum has coached the Storm since 1995. He is the winningest Arena Football League coach and has helped the organization win three of its five ArenaBowl championships. Attempts to reach Marcum on Thursday were unsuccessful, and a team representative said he wouldn't comment.
According to the depositions, the pornographic videos and images show naked women and bestiality scenes, and the racial e-mails are about blacks and many are jokes targeted at President Barack Obama.
Marcum said in the deposition that he isn't a racist and shared some information with black players.
"I've certainly shown black players certain things that, you know, they've laughed their tail off," Marcum said in the deposition. "I mean, they know how I feel, they know what's in my heart, so that – none of this has anything to do with what I feel as a man."
In the deposition, Marcum admits that he viewed them and shared the information to employees and other people outside the company. He didn't think much of it and considered it something private, even though he was at work and using an office computer.
"If I'd have known it was going to become public, if I'd have known you were going to get that off my machine, I would have made those appropriate suggestions, 'Don't send me anymore, don't do that anymore,'" Marcum said in the deposition. "I thought that was mine, I thought that was a personal thing, and, you know, evidently it wasn't."
Paul Levy, attorney for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization in Washington D.C., said a lot goes on at workplaces, and some is overlooked because employers couldn't possibly control all of it. But when there's a complaint or the information becomes public, the scenario changes.
"When there is a complaint, you are subject to discipline and the employer is subject to potential liability," said Levy, who has worked in labor law and Internet free speech.

Just seven months after the Tampa Bay Storm set an Arena Football League record with their eighth ArenaBowl appearance, TBSE Football, LLC, a subsidiary of Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment LLC, announced the purchase today of the Tampa Bay Storm. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

TBSE Football, LLC, led by Jeff Vinik, purchased the franchise from Tampa Bay Storm Partners, LLC, whose Chief Executive Officer is Todd Boren. Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment LLC also purchased the Tampa Bay Lightning (National Hockey League), the leasehold right to the St. Pete Times Forum and ownership of adjacent real estate on March 3, 2010.

"As our business in Tampa Bay evolves and we deepen our commitment to the community, we believe it makes sense to bring the Storm under the Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment umbrella," said Vinik upon making the announcement. "The team is an asset for Tampa Bay and its sports fans and we want to ensure its stability and position in the Arena Football League for the good of our community. At TBSE, we look forward to even more significant announcements in the future, further illustrating our intentions for Tampa Bay."

Under the new ownership, Tim Marcum will remain as the team's Head Coach and General Manager. Elmer Straub, Vice President of Event Booking for the St. Pete Times Forum, will serve on the Board of Directors for all Arena Football League matters.

"It's an honor to partner with an organization that has such a celebrated legacy such as the Tampa Bay Lightning," AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz added. "We are truly excited to add Jeff Vinik and Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment to the Arena Football League today. Mr. Vinik brings a long-time passion for the sports and entertainment industry to the AFL and it is tremendous to welcome a group with football expertise brought by Tod Leiweke, having previously served as the CEO of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks."

Vinik, 51, is the Governor and Chairman of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as founder and chairman of Vinik Asset Management and a minority owner of Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox.

"I couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Mr. Vinik to the Tampa Bay Storm family as he joins us in our quest for a sixth World Championship," Marcum said. "Under his leadership, I am confident the team will be able to develop and sustain a high degree of stability, while consistently providing our fans with an excellent and exciting product on the field."

The Tampa Bay Storm will kickoff the 2011 season on Friday, March 11, 2011 against the New Orleans VooDoo in New Orleans.