"Such reckless misconduct by Mr. Gottlieb will not be tolerated" - Los Angeles Dodgers star's former agent Casey Close files lawsuit against analyst Doug Gottlieb
Casey Close, the former agent of Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, has filed a lawsuit against radio host Doug Gottlieb.
Freeman parted ways with Close after a homecoming series against the Atlanta Braves. Gottlieb alleged that Close was fired due to improper conduct during contract negotiations.
Jeff Passan of ESPN was the first to report that a lawsuit had been filed against Gottlieb.
Agent Casey Close sued radio host Doug Gottlieb for libel Thursday, alleging in a complaint that Gottlieb defamed him and Excel Sports Management in a tweet regarding the contract negotiations of Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, according to court documents obtained by ESPN.
"Agent Casey Close sued radio host Doug Gottlieb for libel Thursday, alleging in a complaint that Gottlieb defamed him and Excel Sports Management in a tweet regarding the contract negotiations of Dodgers star Freddie Freeman" - Jeff Passan
Here is Gottlieb's tweet, which is at the crux of this complaint.
Casey Close never told Freddie Freeman about the Braves final offer, that is why Freeman fired him. He found out in Atlanta this weekend. It isn’t that rare to have happen in MLB, but it happened - Close knew Freddie would have taken the ATL deal
"Casey Close never told Freddie Freeman about the Braves final offer, that is why Freeman fired him. He found out in Atlanta this weekend. It isn’t that rare to have happen in MLB, but it happened - Close knew Freddie would have taken the ATL deal" - Doug Gottlieb
The report from Gottlieb claims that Freeman would not have joined the Los Angeles Dodgers if not for the actions of Close.
Failing to bring a contract offer to a player is illegal and unethical for any agent to do so. However, Close wholly denies that this scenario occurred.
Close and his company, Excel Sports Management, represent a plethora of MLB players.
Close released the following statement on June 29, the day Gottlieb's tweet was posted.
A statement on behalf of Casey Close: https://t.co/HMRH6EhQOk
"A statement on behalf of Casey Close" - Excel Sports Management
With Gottlieb refusing to retract his tweet, this situation is now far from over.
It is still unclear why Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman fired Casey Close
Freddie Freeman spent most of his career with the Atlanta Braves prior to signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Casey Close was his agent for a long time. With the Doug Gottlieb report now in dispute, it is unclear what exactly happened.
This lawsuit will be fascinating to follow as it includes questions on the ethics of journalism. Reports like this are not libel if they are true, so Close and his team will have to prove that the report is false.
The New York Post summarized the entire situation well in this video posted on YouTube. Note that the video was uploaded at the time of the Gottlieb report, prior to this lawsuit being filed.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star's former agent is now defending himself within the legal system. It will be interesting to see how this saga plays out.