Paula Duffy is the National Sports Examiner at Examiner.com a growing news and information site with more than 100 local editions. Formerly a senior corporate lawyer for Sony and General Counsel for Vivendi Games, Duffy is a practicing attorney frequently called upon by the national media to provide commentary on U.S. sports stars and their collisions with the legal system. Duffy is the founder of Incidental Contact, LLC, a sports learning site for women, which features her instructional "Woman's Guide To." line of bestselling audio books and her Sports Knowledge To-Go packages.

Blog Entries by Paula Duffy

New Moon Rules Even Sports Fans Schedules

Posted November 21, 2009 | 11:17 AM (EST)


You can't avoid news about the blockbuster movie New Moon, and it has now intruded in my sports life. My Lakers season seat partner informed me just prior to last Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls that he thought he and I needed to take separate cars to the event.

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Pacquiao/Cotto: Post-Fight Thoughts

5 Comments | Posted November 16, 2009 | 03:58 PM (EST)


Before all the talk begins to fade about what happened on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas and moves to the endless calls for what fight fans want, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, let's reflect on a historic fight and two men that gave us our money's worth.

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Lakers Anxious for Return of Pau Gasol Despite 6-1 Record

2 Comments | Posted November 12, 2009 | 12:45 PM (EST)


On Wednesday, news floated out of the Lakers training facility that got the attention of most basketball fans and media outlets. It concerned the readiness of the team's power forward/center, Pau Gasol.

He has been sidelined for more than a month and it is attributed to a strained hamstring. He...

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The NFL Can Help Prevent Concussions Right Now

Posted November 11, 2009 | 01:21 PM (EST)


More than a year ago I wrote a piece about a simple mouth guard which prevented concussions when worn by athletes. I asked why the NFL wasn't all over it, testing it, buying it and making it part of their equipment.

The mouth guard was developed and is sold...

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Fireworks at NFL Brain Injury Hearings on Capitol Hill

Posted November 3, 2009 | 04:03 PM (EST)


Gay Culverhouse, former executive of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and daughter of former owner of the club, Hugh Culverhouse, says she has been told she has only six months left to live.

Alan Schwarz of The New York Times met with her prior to her appearance last Wednesday...

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Steve Phillips' Rehab Stint is Really About Future Employment

4 Comments | Posted October 28, 2009 | 01:59 PM (EST)


Disgraced ESPN baseball analyst, Steve Phillips, was terminated by his employer, ESPN, who issued a statement which reads in part,

"Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN," network spokesman Josh Krulewitz said in a statement. "His ability to be an effective representative for ESPN has been significantly and irreparably...

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Who gets Mannywood in divorce of Dodgers owner and wife?

Posted October 15, 2009 | 06:22 PM (EST)


One day before the much anticipated start of the NLCS with the Dodgers' 21 year old Clayton Kershaw starting his first ever playoff game, the team issued a statement announcing the marital split of its owner and CEO, Frank and Jamie McCourt.

Rumors of trouble in the relationship began, as...

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Michael Jordan Can't Let Go of Old Hurts During HOF Speech

11 Comments | Posted September 12, 2009 | 05:29 PM (EST)


It's hard to listen to a filthy-rich man complain about the price of tickets for his enshrinement in his sport's hall of fame.

But that, among other cringe-worthy moments is exactly what Michael Jordan did.

Friday's ceremony in Springfield, Mass., inducting not just MJ but also C. Vivian Stringer, Jerry...

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Jerry Jones vs. NFL: Who Will Pay to Move Cowboys Video Screen?

5 Comments | Posted August 25, 2009 | 03:26 PM (EST)


The NFL's Competition Committee is meeting to discuss the efficacy of keeping a video screen in place at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Only in a monument to excess could this happen, but nonetheless it has.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones showed off his $1 billion+ edifice during a weekend, pre-season...

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The Williams Sisters' Finals Match Left Me Cold

16 Comments | Posted July 6, 2009 | 09:58 AM (EST)


After all the Wimbledon semi-final matches were complete and I contemplated the two mornings of Breakfast at Wimbledon on tap for the weekend I was hopeful that the Williams sisters would give us a good if not great finals match.

Well they didn't and more often than not that seems...

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Sign of the Apocalype: Elephants vs. Humans at Coney Island eating contest

Posted July 3, 2009 | 06:58 PM (EST)


A lot has happened in the year since American Joey Chestnut took down perennial champ Takeru Kobayashi for the second straight year at the July 4th Coney Island extravaganza.

In a tie-breaker that day Chestnut defended his title and viewers were treated to the spectacle of some back-wash of the...

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Tim Floyd Leaves USC Just Ahead Of The Firing Squad

3 Comments | Posted June 11, 2009 | 01:31 PM (EST)


A reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News said that the official NCAA report about USC's alleged rules violations might not come for six to eight weeks. And that only covers the basketball program.

No matter what it says, Tim Floyd's resignation on Tuesday should tell you all you need...

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Does the NFL Draft Lose Its Sizzle If the #1 Pick Is Pre-Determined?

Posted April 23, 2009 | 04:17 PM (EST)


Reports have been circulating that the Detroit Lions are in negotiations with Matthew Stafford to become the first pick in Saturday's NFL Draft.

The Lions were quick to say that he wasn't the only one under consideration. That might just be a ruse or a back-up plan to remedy a...

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Stephen A. Smith Has Not Worked Out at ESPN. Why?

Posted April 17, 2009 | 03:07 PM (EST)


His television show was canceled in 2007 and his radio program was dropped from the Worldwide Leader's daily menu a year later when he also lost his daily column at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

And now, due to his inability to come to an agreement for a new compensation package with...

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Agent Scott Boras Reveals Human Side in Wake of Adenhart's Death

Posted April 11, 2009 | 03:10 PM (EST)


In my opinion, one of the most amazing things to emerge in the aftermath of the sudden and crushingly sad death of the young Angels pitcher, Nick Adenhart is the open way his agent has mourned him.

If you haven't seen the video of Scott Boras speaking at the Angels'...

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Plaxico Burress Faces Reality of Jail for Gun Charges

Posted March 31, 2009 | 02:06 PM (EST)


There he was in a gray suit, walking past the media straight into the standard issue black SUV. His attorney, Ben Brafman spoke with the throngs holding microphones.

It was the long awaited day for a pre-trial hearing in Manhattan's criminal court building at which it was expected that New...

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Tommy Lasorda's act is getting old and embarrassing

Posted March 23, 2009 | 02:19 PM (EST)


I was disappointed by the U.S. team's loss to Japan last night in the semi-final round of the WBC played at Dodger Stadium by the score of 9-4.

It matters not to me how we lost or why we lost, we just did. Some of our solid players went down...

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Helio Castroneves Is Dancing with the Feds at Tax Fraud Trial

Posted March 11, 2009 | 07:00 PM (EST)


Here's the crux of the facts that the U.S. government says make Helio Castroneves a criminal deserving of more than six years in prison.

He was owed $5 million by Penske Racing and the government says the racing company was told to hold on to it by Castroneves' lawyer....

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Why Americans Ignore the World Baseball Classic

Posted March 7, 2009 | 04:08 PM (EST)


While watching the Canada vs. USA match this Saturday morning it occurred to me that 40,000 Canadians in a dome in Toronto are there out of national pride and to see if their team can beat the Americans.

And this comes at a time when their beloved hockey season is...

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Note to Dodgers and Manny's Agent: Get the Deal Done

Posted March 2, 2009 | 02:44 PM (EST)


And they say women are emotional. Read any of the news reports about the state of the negotiations between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the agent for Manny Ramirez, Scott Boras and you will wonder if the parties are really Hollywood divas.

But unlike Hollywood power brokers who understand how...

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