It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.
October 18, 2007 at 11:06 am by Wayne GarciaThe boys who founded and grew the Outback chain are generous and forgiving folks, judging by the big bucks they (and family members) recently contributed to the campaign of Republican Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair.
Blair famously sued Outback franchise Carrabba’s Italian Grills in Nov. 2002, alleging that he took a slip and fall at one of their restaurant’s because of employee negligence, effectively ending his pro wrestling career. Blair tripped over a tray of dirty dishes; Carrabba’s attorneys had signaled they would introduce evidence that Blair had drank alcohol that night and was impaired. The case was settled before a trial could be held earlier this year.
In his campaign finance report filed last week, Blair listed $500 contributions from Outback founder Chris Sullivan and Outback execs Bob Basham and Tommy Shannon (as well as Shannon’s wife) for a total of $2,000.
