A federal court document supports former New...
A federal court document supports former New York Yankee general partner George Steinbrenner’s claim that he paid gambler Howard Spira $40,000 to keep damaging allegations against Cincinnati Red Manager Lou Piniella a secret, the Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported.
The newspaper said a transcript obtained from federal court records in Cleveland indicates Spira had said Piniella made bets on college and professional football games while he worked for the Yankees. Piniella has denied betting on anything but horse races, which is legal.
Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent concluded that Spira, who is facing eight federal charges of extortion relating to the Steinbrenner payment, was lying.
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