Money Surfing

• Jim Harbaugh says the University of Michigan, like many schools, doesn't give football players the fabulous education they're promised at fine institutions. The hard data proves him right. [San Francisco Examiner, Ann Arbor News]
• Hoping to start over, Jerry Porter wanted to change his number but the NFL and Reebok fined him over $200K to pay for unsold jerseys. [San Francisco Chronicle]
• A study conducted by the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes links concussions to depression in former NFL players. [New York Times]
• Scott Boras has been brilliantly using the independent minor leagues to make more money for his draft prospects. [New York Times]
• The groundwork for the United Football League, a future competitor to the NFL, has been laid. And they've got sound business ideas to stay alive, unlike the XFL and USFL. [New York Times]
• Greg Oden signs an exclusive trading-card deal with Topps. [Basketball News]