Ertz so good: Vegas agent thrilled at tight end’s TD
AS NBC color man Cris Collinsworth lamented the officials’ decision, saying, “I think they have to overturn this call!” Zach Ertz’s entourage remained resolute.
That was a touchdown, Philly fans, clear as a bell.
“We were just wondering what they were looking at,” Steve Caric of Caric Sports Management of Las Vegas said Monday. “I saw Zach scoring two touchdowns on the same plane, actually — one as he broke the plane as a runner, and again when the ball popped out and he caught it again.”
Nonetheless, officials took a look to make sure Ertz controlled the ball as he dove into the end zone. After the call on the field was confirmed, Caric said, “You never know what’s a catch or what isn’t, but we were confident it was.”
Caric is biased, as he represents Ertz and is the only Vegas agent to manage a member of the Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Ertz’s touchdown at the 2:21 mark of the fourth quarter proved the game-winning score, pushing Philadelphia to a 38-33 lead on its way to a 41-33 victory. Caric watched the game with 15 of Ertz’s friends and family members, including his wife, Julie ,a midfielder for the United States World Cup-champion soccer team, whom Caric also represents.
Caric has managed another NFL player, Eldorado High graduate Stephen Jackson, who suited up for the Rams, Falcons and Patriots from 2004-15. But Ertz is his first Super Bowl champ, and Ertz’s market value instantly vaulted far beyond his 11-yard Tdreception from Nick Foles.
“When you score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, it can create a legendary status for you,” said Caric, whose wife, Natalie Mounier ,isa top public relations rep for Kirvin Doak Communications. “You look at Adam Vinatieri, who is now considered the best kicker in the history of the NFL, but before he won the Super Bowl for the Patriots (No. XXXVI in 2002, beating the then-st. Louis Rams), he was just a kicker out of South Dakota.
“What you can achieve in terms of being voted into
Pro Bowls, future marketing opportunities — Zach’s life has changed because of that catch.”
Suspension at Fox 5
In an odyssey that has played out primarily on social media, KVVU Fox 5 News Director Cristi Jessee was suspended Monday. The station staff was reportedly notified of the decision by KVVU General Manager Todd Brown on Monday afternoon.
No reason or timeline was offered, though Brown told the staff an internal investigation was pending. Brown did not return a call seeking comment or clarification. Multiple sources said Jessee had been planning to bring controversial freelance broadcaster Laura Loomer on board at KVVU, which reportedly alarmed the station’s staff.
The right-leaning Loomer is known to be a flame-thrower on Twitter, and as noted on the Tv-industry website Ftvlive.com (and other media outlets), she is banned from using Uber and Lyft because she posted an anti-islamic message on social media about the ride-share companies. She also reportedly entered a polling place wearing a burqa and asked for a ballot under the name Huma Abedin.
Last week, Loomer accused Fox 5 anchor Cyndi Lundeberg, who recently married a man of Muslim faith, of carrying out a “sham green card marriage to an Islamic immigrant.” Loomer blamed that marriage for the station’s decision not to hire her.
On Friday, Lundeberg posted a photo on her Twitter page of her kissing her husband on their wedding day with the message, “Here’s me kissing my beautiful husband. Does it make you sick? Good.” That post, which tagged Loomer and Fox 5 Vegas, has since been taken down.
Massive tailgating
The turnout for the second “Big Game” party at Downtown Las Vegas Events Center exceeded 7,000, twice the number that attended last year’s event. “It was way bigger than we could have expected,” said The D Las Vegas Las Vegas Vice President of Operations Jeff Victor, who oversees the event.
The MD report
Gotta make this right; on Sunday I said Ronnie Foster was music director of “Opium,” opening March 13 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The great keyboard player, who was MD for Human Nature at The Venetian, is indeed in the band. But the music director duties are handled by bassist David Ostrem ,amember of Clint Holmes’ band and also the original MD for “Baz” when it opened at Light at Mandalay Bay in 2015.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @ Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Monday:
1. Las Vegas court filing: Wynn wanted sex with waitress ‘to see how it feels’ to be with a grandmother
Billionaire casino developer Steve Wynn faced allegations of pressuring a waitress into sex about 30 years ago, allegedly telling his employee he had “never had a grandmother before” and wanted “to see how it feels,” according to a court document and interviews with multiple sources.
2. Las Vegas Reviewjournal killed story in
1998 about Steve Wynn sex misconduct claims
Claims that casino developer Steve Wynn sexually harassed employees could have surfaced years ago but the Las Vegas Review-journal in 1998 stopped publication of a story that would have brought the issue to light.
3. Las Vegas sports books buried by Eagles, mystery bettor who won $10M
The house doesn’t always win, especially when the Patriots are in the Super Bowl and a mystery bettor riding an epic hot streak is on the other side.
4. Top props: Results of popular Super Bowl bets
Here are some of the popular prop bets that hit during Super Bowl LII between the Eagles and Patriots.
5. Judge lands Nevada Supreme Court seat after no one else files
The Nevada Supreme Court had two open seats in this fall’s election. Now there is only one. As of 9 p.m. Monday:
1. More sex allegations emerge against Las Vegas billionaire Steve Wynn
Steve Wynn faced allegations of pressuring a waitress into sex decades ago.
2. Jan. 29-Feb. 04: See the week’s best photos from RJ photographers
Take a look at some of the most memorable photos (some featuring the super blue blood moon) from Review-journal photojournalists this past week.
3. Wynn Vegas History
Steve Wynn moved to Las Vegas in 1967 and invested in the Frontier Hotel.