Last time we checked in with University of Texas at El Paso head football coach Mike Price, the former University of Alabama head coach (for about five minutes) was settling his $20 million libel lawsuit against Time, Inc.
Well, as you might have heard, Time backed off of that settlement a few days after its announcement. Time contended indignantly that Coach Price and his attorney had breached the settlement agreement by making public comments about the settlement and the litigation. Coach Price and his lawyer denied that any of their statements breached the agreement, Time went ahead and filed a motion with the Alabama state court requesting that the settlement be set aside, anyway.
Enter Dow Jones, Inc., venerable publisher of The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones filed a motion with the court in the Price v. Time lawsuit requesting that the court unseal the terms of the defunct settlement and other records in the case, which included information regarding the identity of Time’s sources for what went on in Coach Price’s hotel room that summer evening in Pensacola. Time apparently said “Oops!” and promptly opposed Dow Jones’ request.
Regaining its senses, Time announced today that it had once again settled with Coach Price, which apparently moots the Dow Jones motion in the court’s view. This time, Coach Price and his attorney could not be reached for comment on the settlement, thank goodness.
However, Coach Price has arranged for a several sideline passes to UTEP’s next game to be held at the will-call window for Dow Jones. ;^)