Agent Casey Close is suing Doug Gottlieb for libel, alleging the Fox Sports radio host “falsely and recklessly” defamed him and Excel Sports Management in a tweet that claimed they did not present the Atlanta Braves’ final contract offer to Freddie Freeman during free agency, according to a complaint filed in a New York court.
Gottlieb alleged Close knew Freeman would have accepted the Braves’ contract offer and added the six-time All-Star recently found out about this during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ three-game series in Atlanta last month. Freeman fired Close days later.
“Although we gave Mr. Gottlieb an opportunity to retract his false statement, he failed to do so,” Close said in a statement. “The Complaint sets the record straight as to what occurred during the negotiations with the Atlanta Braves.”
While Freeman was open about wanting to spend his entire career with the Braves, his outlook was forced to change after the club replaced him by acquiring Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics. That led to the 32-year-old signing a six-year contract with the Dodgers.
According to the complaint, Freeman’s final discussions with the Braves took place on March 12. Close proposed two potential offers but Atlanta rejected both.
“Doug Gottlieb’s statement — Casey Close, a respected member of the sports agent community for over 30 years, did not communicate a contract offer to a client — is not only wholly false, but also is an attack on the character of Mr. Close and his highly reputable agency, Excel Sports Management,” Close and Excel’s attorneys, Mitch Schuster and Kevin Fritz, said in a statement.
“Such reckless misconduct by Mr. Gottlieb will not be tolerated.”
Freeman splits from Close, focused on Dodgers
Freeman, who spent his first 12 seasons with the Braves, was overcome by emotion several times during the Dodgers’ series in Atlanta last month.
Freeman acknowledged he is still in the process of moving on from the Braves but that his focus lies with the Dodgers.
In the days after Freeman returning to Atlanta, he parted ways with Close and Excel Sports Management for undisclosed reasons.
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