Shut, one of many largest brokers within the sport and a member of Freeman’s group at Excel Sports activities Administration, was reportedly in prolonged negotiations with the Braves that ended with Atlanta entering into a distinct course. On March 14, with Freeman nonetheless available in the market, Atlanta traded Matt Olson to Oakland Athletics first baseman and shortly signed him to an eight-year, $168 million contract. Three days later, Freeman joined the Dodgers.
Each gamers settled into their new roles early within the season, and the Dodgers and Braves acquired off to a great begin. It wasn’t till late June, when the groups met in a three-game sequence in Atlanta, that issues arose.
Freeman, who first appeared in Atlanta as a visitor participant, was noticeably emotional all through the primary sport of the sequence. 4 days later, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that Freeman had parted methods with Shut and Excel. Olney additionally said that these near Freeman believed that “his feelings that continued over the weekend had been to some extent associated to the incessant anger and disappointment that culminated in his negotiations that he performed with a group completely different from the membership he had initially chosen his”.
After the report, Olney Gottlieb — a Fox Sports activities Radio host and former faculty basketball star — posted a tweet that tied every part collectively, stating that Shut by no means instructed Freeman concerning the Braves’ closing provide, and Freeman did not learn about it till after visiting Atlanta. When instructed, Gottlieb mentioned, Freeman fired Shut.
Casey Shut by no means instructed Freddie Freeman concerning the Braves’ closing provide, so Freeman fired him. He realized about it in Atlanta this weekend. It does not occur all that always in MLB, nevertheless it did occur – Shut knew that Freddie would comply with a cope with the ATL.
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) June 29, 2022
The following day, Shut launched an announcement through Excel saying the Braves had been accountable for making a “false narrative” about Freeman’s departure.
“I will not stand by because the circumstances of Freddie Freeman’s departure are misreported,” Shut mentioned.
The agent additionally spoke to Sports activities Illustrated about Gottlieb’s tweet.
“There’s completely no fact in what Doug Gottlieb recklessly tweeted, and I’m able to testify to this below oath,” Shut mentioned. “We’re at present evaluating all authorized choices on this matter.”
The authorized choice is now chosen: Shut and Excel are suing Gottlieb for defamation. The criticism, filed Thursday, alleges that Gottlieb’s tweet broken the plaintiffs’ names, companies and reputations, and that “Shut has acquired dying threats from folks believed to be Atlanta Braves followers.”
“Plaintiffs suffered damages in an quantity to be decided in courtroom, however estimated at tens of tens of millions of {dollars},” the doc says.
Freeman has not publicly commented on the difficulty. In an announcement to ESPN, Shut mentioned the lawsuit was an try and right any misconceptions.
“The criticism units a file for what occurred throughout negotiations with the Atlanta Braves,” he mentioned.
