• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot
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

Sep 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Sep 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan presents Scottie Scheffler the FedEx Cup after winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament.

Scottie Scheffler Tops New FedEx Cup Bonus List With $18M Payday

The PGA Tour’s top 10 players are getting paid after the regular season.
Happy Gilmore 2

Is ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Really About LIV vs. PGA Tour?

The movie’s main plotline may sound familiar to many golf fans.
Joaquin Niemann

Scottie Scheffler’s Season Earnings Surpassed by LIV’s Niemann

Niemann has made $21.94 million on the golf course this year.

Scheffler Dominates The Open, Draws Comparisons to Tiger’s Prime

Scheffler, 29, won his second major of the year and fourth of his career.

Featured Today

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty
August 2, 2025

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Josh Donaldson

Josh Donaldson Settles With Mold Landlord for $729K

Donaldson vacated the Greenwich, Ct. mansion shortly after moving in.
Troy Taylor
July 31, 2025

Ex-Stanford Coach Troy Taylor Sues ESPN for Defamation

Taylor was fired after a pair of 3–9 seasons.
Feb 20, 2011; Calgary, AB, Canada; Canadian hockey fans wave a flag and display a banner before the Heritage Classic between the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames at McMahon Stadium. The Flames beat the Canadiens 4-0
August 1, 2025

Where Does Hockey Go After the Hockey Canada Verdict?

After the sexual assault trial, hockey is split over the path forward.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Gilbert Arenas
July 31, 2025

Gilbert Arenas Charged With Running Illegal Poker Operation With ‘Organized Crime Figure’

The former NBA player allegedly ran a poker club from his house.
Marcus Morris
July 30, 2025

Marcus Morris Denies Fraud, Blames Mixup for $260K Casino Debt Arrest

Morris made roughly $107 million across 13 NBA seasons.
Apr 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles as New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) is screened by Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards (2) during the first half at Madison Square Garden.
July 30, 2025

Tensions Rise After Suns Fire Ex–Security Director

Phoenix faces a slew of lawsuits from former employees.
Jul 22, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (not in uniform) celebrates from the bench in the first quarter against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.
July 29, 2025

Man Who Stalked Clark Gets 2 Years in Prison

He sent more than 800 messages and visited Indianapolis to see Clark.