Jack Nicklaus breaks silence on winning $50M defamation suit over allegations of secret LIV deal

Jack Nicklaus released his statement after winning the defamation case. The American retired golfer had filed a lawsuit against two of his former associates, Howard Milstein and Andrew O’Brien, for defaming his image.

The case was filed in 2023, in which the 18-time major winner opened up about the rumors spread about him, claiming that he had a secret meeting with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf to become their ambassador.

Nicklaus filed a lawsuit against the two and others in his firm, Nicklaus Co., stating that it harmed his reputation. He won the lawsuit on October 20, and on Monday, he finally released a statement about it. In an interview with Palm Beach, Nicklaus said that the lawsuit was “more for” his family and was relieved as "a load off” his shoulders. He said:

“I did this thing more for my family than for me. My legacy that I will have through the years will be very important to my family. I'm 85 years old, how long will I be around? I don’t know. It’s not about me. It’s about the future and family. But basically, a big load off my shoulders.”

He further reflected on his happiness with the result. He added:

“The proceedings, the judge, the jury were great,” he said. “I’m happy with the outcome. Obviously, there’s going to be probably appeals and that stuff. This will continue to go on for a while."

Jack Nicklaus has earned $50 million after winning the lawsuit. During the trial, his attorney stated that the false statements were detrimental to his image.

LIV Golf was founded in 2022, and several prominent names joined the circuit at that time, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka.

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Jack Nicklaus opens up about his image after winning the lawsuit

: Jack Nicklaus with wife Barbara (Image Source: Getty)

In the interview with Palm Beach, Jack Nicklaus opened up about his reputation and how important it was for him to win the lawsuit. He said (via SI):

"My NIL [name, image, license] is very important to me, it’s very important to my family. Sometimes you got to stand up for it and go through what you have to go through.

“Life changes for all of us as we go along. I’ve been very blessed. Allowed me to win a few golf tournaments, make a name for myself. Protect that. It’s very important," he added.

Jack Nicklaus is currently retired from the sport. However, in his decorated career, he has won 117 professional tournaments. He won 18 majors in his career, the highest of all time, and clinched 73 titles on the PGA Tour, the third highest of all time.