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0 Golf’s civil war has taken a surprising turn with 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed suing leading commentator Brandel Chamblee for defamation.
According to the lawsuit filed in the US District Court, Reed alleges that Chamblee and the Golf Channel have engaged in a series of “calculated, malicious, false and/or reckless attacks that have had a direct effect” on Reed’s livelihood.
Reed claims to have “lost multiple multi-million dollar sponsorship deals” as a result of Chamblee’s comments. He is seeking $1.07 billion in damages.
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The 32-year-old, who has won nine times on the PGA Tour, is one of a number of high-profile players to have signed with Greg Norman’s LIV Golf.
The lawsuit claims Chamblee and the Golf Channel have a “bizarre fixation” with “destroying” Reed’s reputation “by trying to fabricate the story that he is somehow a cheater.”
It alleges that Chamblee’s comments have created a “hostile workplace environment” for Reed, with insults such as, “You cheat in college and on tour and you’re a piece of shit” directed at Reed from fans.
Reed was famously penalised two strokes at a tournament in 2019 for moving sand from behind his ball, a controversy that dogged him through the Presidents Cup the following week in Melbourne, where his caddie was involved in a scuffle with fans.
In 2020, commentator Peter Kostis claimed he’d personally witnessed Reed cheating on four separate occasions.
The lawsuit alleges that Chamblee and the Golf Channel are acting on behalf of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour by “defaming and smearing anyone associated with LIV.”
“It is well-known on tour that Mr. Reed has been abused and endured more than any other golfer from fans or spectators who have been allowed to scream obscenities only to be glorified by NBC’s Golf Channel for doing so, because it gets Chamblee and Golf Channel ‘clicks’, viewership, ratings and increased revenue,” the lawsuit reads.
“It does not matter how badly they destroy someone’s name and life, so long as they rake in more dollars and profit.”
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