Fiesta Bowl CEO Fired

**cycloneworld** · 03-29-2011, 02:40 PM

After investigations about improper spending.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/sp...1&pagewanted=1

Top executives at the Fiesta Bowl, the host of one of the nation’s pre-eminent college football games, funneled campaign contributions to local politicians, flew other Arizona elected officials around the country at the bowl’s expense, racked up a $1,000 bill at a strip club, and even spent $30,000 on a birthday party for the chief executive, according to an investigative report commissioned by the bowl’s board of directors.

The most serious revelations involve nearly a dozen employees who told investigators that the chief executive and others working for the bowl encouraged them to make political contributions, then reimbursed them with phony bonus payments. Some said they then were pressured to lie about the practice.

The BCS and Bowl system are the biggest joke in sports. Maybe it will take a few of these situations for people to realize how terrible the system really is.

**Wesley** · 03-29-2011, 02:42 PM

Somehow we all knew a stripper club would be involved.

**cycloneworld** · 03-29-2011, 02:43 PM

And how's this for an explanation for the strip club visit:

According to the report, Junker explained to investigators: “We are in the business where big strong athletes are known to attend these types of establishments. It was important for us to visit, and we certainly conducted business.”

More expenses:

Some of the expenses appeared to be personal in nature. Last year, Junker’s daughter, Lucy, was seeking admission to the honors program at the University of Texas. The Fiesta Bowl paid $75 to send flowers to the head of the honors admissions program. Lucy Junker was accepted into the program, according to the report.

It also appears to have paid $13,000 in connection with the wedding of Junker’s assistant, Kelly Keogh, covering her airfare and hotel on her honeymoon to British Columbia. It also paid to fly Junker, his wife, son and at least six Fiesta Bowl employees to her wedding in Kansas City, Mo.

One of the most extreme examples was a 50th birthday celebration given by the Fiesta Bowl for Junker in Pebble Beach, Calif., in 2005. Investigators found the bowl spent more than $33,000 on the party, including airfare for Junker and other top executives, car rentals, meals and lodging.

**MNCyGuy** · 03-30-2011, 12:10 PM

Fiesta Bowl fires CEO amid internal report; BCS status in jeopardy - ESPN

Sounds like the BCS might look to give the Fiesta Bowl the boot. Even if it didn't lead to any other investigations into the BCS, there would be some big implications for the Big 12 bowl scene. Not only is the Fiesta Bowl the conference's traditional BCS tie-in, they also run the Insight Bowl, and you have to think that the Cotton Bowl would get a nice long look as a potential replacement for that 4th BCS spot.