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Agenda: Wed 7/20/22

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Sports

Eddie Olczyk unlikely to return as the Chicago Blackhawks TV analyst — and the team was ‘blindsided’ by the news

In a potentially seismic event in the Chicago sports market, the Blackhawks and TV analyst Eddie Olczyk appear to be parting ways.Olczyk likely won’t return as a color commentator for Hawks games on NBC Sports Chicago, the Tribune confirmed. The Athletic first reported the expected split Monday.AdvertisementAccording to The Athletic, “negotiations stalled” before the Hawks could officially renew Olczyk’s contract, which expired June 30.Olczyk could not be reached for comment.AdvertisementA Hawks source said the team believed it had given the former Hawks forward an “above-market offer” on a multiyear contract extension that “significantly” increased his salary per game.Team officials thought they had reached a verbal agreement weeks ago and were awaiting Olczyk’s signature, the source said, and they were “blindsided” by Monday’s development.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Under his old contract, Olczyk was paid for a full 82-game schedule, though each year he would bow out of local games on occasion to work for TNT and other national hockey broadcasts as well as to handicap horse racing for NBC.The new wrinkle was the Hawks wanted to switch to a per-game rate, though they sweetened the offer for each game. According to the team source, “Eddie still would have been one of the highest-paid broadcasters across the league.”The Hawks hadn’t been calling possible replacements for Olczyk, the source said, but exploring fill-ins for those occasions when he would be assigned to national broadcasts.Olczyk has been the Hawks color commentator since the 2006-07 season, when he was paired with Dan Kelly.But it was the combination of Olczyk and Pat Foley, who joined him in 2008, that became synonymous with Hawks broadcasts.Foley stepped away from his play-by-play duties after last season’s farewell tour. Despite speculation that he was pushed out, both Foley and the Hawks said his exit was amicable.AdvertisementChris Vosters was named Foley’s successor and will need a new partner if Olczyk doesn’t return next season.

Sports

North Carolina woman voluntarily dismisses civil complaint against Chicago Bears and Mario Edwards Jr.; lawyer says she plans to refile it at a later date

The North Carolina woman who sued the Chicago Bears and defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. last year voluntarily dismissed her complaint earlier this month, according to Mecklenburg County court records.On Oct. 14, Joann Blakney filed a civil complaint that accused Edwards of assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress and the Bears of negligent supervision and defamation relating to an altercation at a Charlotte, N.C., hotel on Oct. 17, 2020.AdvertisementThe Bears filed a motion to dismiss their case, but Blakney withdrew her complaint before the team’s motion was to be heard in court this month. A Bears source said the team did not attempt to reach a settlement with Blakney. Edwards also did not attempt to settle, according to his agent, Peter Schaffer.Blakney also dismissed complaints against Bears vice president of security John Tarpey and Stanford Hotels Corporation employees Paul Horner and Jeffrey A. Burton, court records show.AdvertisementCriminal charges against both Edwards and Blakney from the October 2020 incident are still pending, according to the Mecklenburg County district attorney’s office.Blakney’s attorney, Arcangela Mazzariello, said in an email she plans to refile the civil complaint after dealing with her client’s criminal charge of misdemeanor simple assault. Mazzariello said the criminal case is on the court docket this week.Edwards faces a criminal charge of misdemeanor assault on a female, but the summons has not been served because he has not returned to North Carolina.The incident happened the night before the Bears played the Carolina Panthers in October 2020.[ [Don’t miss] Chicago Bears take Mario Edwards Jr.’s assault charge ‘very seriously,’ Matt Nagy says. The team was informed of incident the night it happened. ]According to the suit, Blakney said she engaged in consensual oral sex with Edwards but he became violent when she rejected his request to have intercourse. Schaffer said last year that Edwards engaged in consensual sexual activity with Blakney and left when she became angry over a disagreement about the extent of their relationship.Blakney alleged in the complaint that shortly after the incident Bears employees asked if she wanted or needed money, brought Edwards to her despite her wishes and falsely said publicly she was a prostitute.A police report obtained by the Tribune listed Edwards and a 28-year-old woman as victims and said officers were responding to a report of “a female hitting a male with her hand and scratching his forehead.” The report stated that Blakney went to the hospital for her injuries, which were listed as “bruises/scratches.” She said in the suit the injuries included a concussion and trauma to her vision and abdomen.The NFL completed an investigation of the incident last summer and concluded “there was insufficient evidence to support a finding that there was a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy.”AdvertisementEdwards is in the second year of a three-year, $11.66 million contract with the Bears.