Poker News – On Monday, Jan. 13, John Brennan reported on NorthJersey.com that online poker site 888.com, one of the online gaming operators licencesed in New Jersey, offered New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks $88,800 to legally change his name to 888.com.
The offer comes less than a week after the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils announced a groundbreaking partnership with partypoker.com.
“We’re excited that 888.com is up and running in New Jersey,” said 888 Holdings CEO Brian Mattingley. “As we consider 888 to be the premier gaming site in the Garden State, we thought it was appropriate to align ourselves with other area notables. We couldn’t think of a more fitting local athlete than Big Blue’s very own number 88, Hakeem Nicks. We are also aware that Hakeem’s contract is up, so we hope that he sees this as a gesture to stay and as an opportunity to benefit a local charity that he supports.”
Nicks, who has not responded to the offer and is unlikely to do so, is coming off a year where he caught 56 passes for 896 yards. That gave him an average of 16 yards per catch, and he had 14 catches for 20-plus yards with his longest going for 57 yards. Unfortunately he failed to reach the endzone all season.
