Five stories that have North Texas talking: Craig James sues Fox Sports; Ken Paxton is charged with securities fraud; Ted Cruz and Rick Perry appear in New Hampshire; and more.
Former college football broadcaster Craig James has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Fox Sports that contends he was fired because he had expressed opposition to gay marriage during a failed run for the U.S. Senate. The former running back for Southern Methodist University and the New England Patriots is seeking at least $100,000 in damages. Fox hired him in August 2013 — more than a year after he lost the Texas Senate primary to Ted Cruz — only to fire him days later. James filed his suit in Dallas, where he is seeking a jury trial to hear claims against the network that include breach of contract and violations of Texas law. In a statement, James said: "This case is much bigger than me. It affects every person who holds religious beliefs. I will not let Fox Sports trample my religious liberty." In a statement last year, Fox called James "a polarizing figure" and said "the decision not to use him in our college football coverage was based on the perception that he abused a previous on-air position to further a personal agenda." In 2012, during a Senate candidates debate, James said being gay was a choice. [Associated Press/KERA]
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was booked at a Collin County jail Monday on felony charges alleging that he misled investors before becoming the state's top lawyer. Paxton was processed on two counts of first-degree securities fraud and a lesser count of failing to register with state securities regulators. Last year, Paxton admitted soliciting clients for an investment company without being registered with the state securities board. The 52-year-old Republican was fingerprinted and photographed before being released on bond. His attorney says he will plead not guilty. KERA’s Bill Zeeble explores what this all means. [Associated Press/KERA]
- Ted Cruz and Rick Perry appeared at a New Hampshire forum Monday night. The Texas Tribune reports: “Speaking separately at a New Hampshire forum, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Gov. Rick Perry gave early primary voters a preview of their pitches for the [first Republican presidential] debate Thursday in Cleveland, which Perry is currently at risk of missing out on due to eligibility requirements. For the former governor, the pre-debate forum was an opportunity to boast of his gubernatorial record securing the border and turning Texas into a job-creation juggernaut. For Cruz, the event gave him a prime-time platform to sound the alarm about President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran and remind supporters of his fights against members of both parties in Washington.” [Texas Tribune]
- Texas Monthly explores a recent string of bad incidents for D/FW International Airport. A post on its website is titled: DFW Airport: Bad Luck or Just Bad? “If you’re flying to or from Texas, there’s a good chance you’ll end up in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. And if you do find yourself at DF-Dubs, steel yourself for some sort of, er, unique incident,” the magazine reports. “Last week was a particularly rough one for the airport, which had two separate mechanical issues on Thursday.” That’s when a flight returned after smoke appeared in the cabin – and the wheel of another plane caught on fire. Then, earlier in the week, a man got through security without an ID and boarded a plane. Texas Monthlyrattles through a series of other incidents in recent months.
- ESPN will broadcast from Sundance Square early next month. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from Sundance Square on Sept. 5 in advance of the Alabama-Wisconsin game at AT&T Stadium. GameDay host Rece Davis will be joined by analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack. The show runs from 8 to 11 a.m. … It is the second consecutive year that the show will open the season from Fort Worth. ESPN also broadcast from Sundance Square in advance of the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.” [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
