Bowl Games Nailed...more to come

by Gary Snyder

Nonprofit Imperative told you about the free spending leaders of the Bowl Games. There has been a shake up in at least one. The chief executive of the nonprofit that runs college football’s Fiesta Bowl was fired after an internal investigation alleged that the charity’s leaders urged employees to make political contributions and reimbursed them with bogus bonuses. John Junker, who has led the Tempe, Ariz., game for three decades, had been on administrative leave since February for refusing to cooperate with an investigative panel commissioned by the organization’s board of directors. Natalie Wisneski, the chief operating officer, and Jay Fields, the vice president for marketing, have resigned. The investigators’ report, released Tuesday, also details alleged use of Fiesta Bowl funds on trips for Arizona politicians, a lavish 50th birthday party for Mr. Junker, and a $1200 visit to a Phoenix strip club. The Arizona attorney general’s office is investigating whether the allegations warrant a criminal investigation, and legal experts said it is possible the organization’s tax-exempt status could be at stake. We are confident that more heads will roll at other bowls in months to come.