• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Front Office Sports Honors winners are here! View the 2025 winners
Law

LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed Sues Golf Channel, Brandel Chamblee

  • Reed alleges “personal attacks” by Chamblee led to “emotional distress” in lawsuit that seeks more than $750M in damages.
  • Reed’s former attorney sent Chamblee a cease-and-desist letter in 2020.
Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

LIV Golf’s Patrick Reed filed a defamation lawsuit against Golf Channel and network analyst Brandel Chamblee in a Texas federal court on Tuesday that seeks more than $750 million in damages.

The lawsuit alleges that Golf Channel and Chamblee worked “in concert with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour” to “maliciously cause a hostile workplace environment for Mr. Reed.”

“These induced personal attacks have in turn harmed his performance at tournaments and events, despite his excellent record, which record would be even much greater without the disruption and emotional distress caused by these personal attacks,” Reed’s attorney Larry Klayman wrote in the civil complaint filed in Houston. 

The lawsuit takes particular aim over Chamblee’s “blood money” comments about the golfers defecting the PGA Tour for millions offered by Saudi-backed LIV.

“Falsely stating that someone is playing for blood money is patently and plainly defamatory because it creates the false implication that Mr. Reed is supporting acts of terrorism and/or human rights violations,” the lawsuit states. “Mr. Reed has never accepted ‘blood money,’ and in no way supports terrorism and/or human rights violations, or murder.”

The feud between Chamblee and Reed isn’t new. Reed’s former attorney sent Chamblee a cease-and-desist letter two years ago. 

A spokesperson for NBC Sports — which operates Golf Channel — declined comment on Wednesday.

Courthouse News was the first outlet to report the lawsuit. 

The claims are numerous: 

  • The lawsuit alleges that Chamblee “has shown himself to be a disciple of the ‘Skip Bayless’ school of sports analysis—the fundamental tenet of which is that it is more important to be loud than it is to be correct.”
  • The “longstanding pattern and practice of maliciously defaming” Reed included a 2019 segment where Chamblee said on air that Reed’s “ego is as big as Jupiter.”
  • Chamblee “went so far as to defame and smear Mr. Reed’s morals and ethics” at the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open when Reed took a free drop that Chamblee criticized. 
  • After Reed left for LIV Golf in June, Chamblee said that players who defected the PGA Tour “are showing us that they are the greediest, most self-serving, self-interesting, willfully blind players in the world of golf today.” 

The lawsuit is the latest LIV Golf-related legal action taken on behalf of the Saudi-backed series’ players. 

Earlier this month, Phil Mickelson and 10 other LIV Golf players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, and Matt Jones, plaintiffs in that federal case, also sought a temporary restraining order in order to play in the FedEX Cup Playoffs, but the trio were denied the injunction last week.

Klayman, a right-wing activist attorney, is most notable for filing so many lawsuits against Bill Clinton during his presidency that he became an inspiration for a character on NBC’s “The West Wing.” He also filed a lawsuit in an attempt to keep Barack Obama off the 2012 ballot in Florida that was dismissed.

In 2020, Klayman was suspended from practicing law for 90 days by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals after the body ruled he “flagrantly violated” ethics rules.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Keegan Bradley Declines Rare Ryder Cup Playing Captain Role

Bradley did not choose himself with one of his six captain’s picks.
Aug 24, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tommy Fleetwood holds the FedExCup Trophy on the 18th green after winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament.

PGA Tour TV Ratings: Fleetwood’s Breakthrough Caps Playoff Surge

Sunday’s final round drew nearly 4.5 million viewers on NBC.

Masters, Open Championship Offer New Paths for Qualifying in 2026

Winner of select national opens will now earn invitations.
Aug 24, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Scottie Scheffler takes his shot on the first hole during the final round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament.

Nine PGA Tour Players Earned More Than $10M During 2025 Season

The 2025 season ended at the Tour Championship on Sunday.

Featured Today

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Babe Ruth

Man With Babe Ruth’s Name Charged With MLB Identity Thefts

George Herman Ruth, 69, used hundreds of false names and Social Security numbers.
Jun 11, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA;A NCAA logo flag at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
August 15, 2025

Transgender Runner Sues Swarthmore, NCAA Over Ban

The suit says state and federal law supercede the NCAA’s transgender policy.
Miami Heat logo
August 20, 2025

Former Heat Security Guard Pleads Guilty to Stealing Team Memorabilia

Prosecutors say he stole game-worn jerseys and sold them online for millions.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.
August 14, 2025

Brian Flores Discrimination Suit Against NFL Can Go to Trial, Court Says

An appeals court ruled the NFL cannot compel Flores into arbitration.
Feb 14, 2025; Oakland, California, USA; Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky the Mountain Lion gestures in front of Terrell Owens (81) of Team Rice during the celebrity game ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Oakland Arena.
August 14, 2025

Former Nuggets Mascot Sues Team for Wrongful Termination

Drake Solomon says he returned from hip surgery to a “hostile work environment.”
Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) passes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium.
August 13, 2025

Lamar Jackson Drops No. 8 Fight Against Troy Aikman

He filed a complaint with the USPTO in July 2024 against Aikman.
Shohei Ohtani
August 12, 2025

Shohei Ohtani, Agent Accused of Tanking $240 Million Hawaii Real Estate Deal

Ohtani had agreed to promote a luxury housing project.