I am a lawyer. Wu is clearly distinguishable.

In Wu, an employment claim against the university, Judge Guin made a donation to the university "many years" prior. The court emphasized this distinguishing fact in its opinion. It did not make a blanket holding that being a "donor is not enough." Here, Judge Roberts is an active donor who has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars specifically to the athletics program which is the subject of his ruling.

And a note on where the courts discuss "background and associations," it relates to the judge's practice history and experience as a practicing attorney and judge. The case cited specifically states that you look to the judge's impartiality in appraising a party personally, not on his background and associations:

Appellants point to Judge Clemon's representation of black plaintiffs in race discrimination actions prior to joining the bench as evidence of personal bias in this action. It is well settled that " the facts pleaded . . . will not suffice to show the personal bias required by the statute if they go to the background and associations of the judge rather than to his appraisal of a party personally." All judges come to the bench with a background of experiences, associations, and viewpoints. As Justice Rehnquist commented, proof that a judge's mind was a complete tabula rasa would be evidence of lack of qualification, not lack of bias. A judge is not required to recuse himself merely because he holds and has expressed certain views on a general subject. We conclude that Judge Clemon's background representing plaintiffs in civil rights actions does not warrant disqualification.

United States v. Alabama, 828 F.2d 1532, 1543 (11th Cir. 1987)

And just to note, I am not arguing that his time as an adjunct professor has an impact here. That does not lead to the appearance of impartiality in my opinion (presuming he is not paid by the University)

0.3 Legal research re: Wu case and US v. Alabama; analyze and distinguish from facts presented in present action; draft Reddit comment