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SPORTS Tuesday 9 augusT 2022
PGA Tour says players knew consequences of joining LIV Golf

By DOUG FERGUSON knowing full well that they
The PGA Tour asked a fed- would breach TOUR Regu-
eral judge in San Francis- lations and be suspended
co to deny the appeal of for doing so, Plaintiffs have
three suspended players joined competing golf
who joined Saudi-backed league LIV Golf, which has
LIV Golf and now want to paid them tens and hun-
compete in the tour’s lu- dreds of millions of dollars
crative postseason, argu- in guaranteed money sup-
ing the players knew the plied by Saudi Arabia’s sov-
consequences two months ereign wealth fund.”
ago. The three players were
Talor Gooch, Matt Jones not among the highest-
and Hudson Swafford are sought players for Greg
seeking a temporary re- Norman’s rival league,
straining order. They are though they were among
among 10 players who filed the initial group of players
an antitrust lawsuit against who signed with LIV Golf.
the PGA Tour last week. Gooch was the only one
The hearing is scheduled for among the top 50 in the
1 p.m. PDT Tuesday in San world, mainly from his only
Jose, California, two days PGA Tour win last Novem-
before the first of three Fe- The “4 Aces” team celebrates with champagne after winning the team competition during a ber. “Plaintiffs have waited
dEx Cup playoff events in ceremony after the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, nearly two months to seek
the chase for the $18 mil- N.J., Sunday, July 31, 2022. From left to right, Pat Perez, Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Dustin relief from the Court, fab-
lion top prize. Johnson. Associated Press ricating an ‘emergency’
The FedEx St. Jude Cham- they now maintain requires
pionship in Memphis, Ten- season among the top 125 too.” independent contractor. immediate action,” the fil-
nessee, has a $15 million in the FedEx Cup standings. Gooch, Swafford and Jones The Tour cannot have its ing said. “It doesn’t.”
purse, and the top 70 play- The other six who joined LIV used the same phrase in cake and eat it too by try- The tour contends player
ers advance to the second Golf are not asking to play separate, legal-heavy let- ing to control me as one knew they would be ineligi-
postseason event in Wilm- in the tour’s postseason. ters to tour officials last might an employee, while ble for the FedEx Cup play-
ington, Delaware. In a court filing Monday to month in protesting their not providing me the rights offs “when they accepted
Gooch (No. 20), Jones (No. oppose the temporary re- suspensions and claiming and benefits an employee millions from LIV to breach
65) and Swafford (No. 67) straining order, the tour ar- the regulations were oner- would receive,” each letter their agreements” with the
are among nine players gued antitrust laws do not ous and kept them from said. tour. Players were not sus-
who have joined LIV Golf allow the three players “to playing elsewhere. The PGA Tour argued in its pended until they actually
and finished the regular have their cake and eat it, “I am a free agent and opposing motion, “Despite teed off in a LIV Golf event.

USA Swimming cuts deal to simplify anonymous abuse reporting

By EDDIE PELLS become public. abuse by coaches. In 2010,
AP National Writer RealResponse has devel- USA Swimming’s former ex-
DENVER (AP) — USA Swim- oped technology that al- ecutive director, the late
ming has added technol- lows reporters to file reports Chuck Wielgus, was ac-
ogy to its abuse-reporting about abuse via text and cused of ignoring or down-
systems that will allow bet- for those who receive the playing dozens of cases of
ter communication be- reports to follow up while sexual abuse. Around 150
tween those coordinating the name of the reporter swimming coaches have
investigations and reporters remains concealed. since been banned by the
who want to remain anon- “Previously, we could re- U.S. Center for SafeSport,
ymous. ceive an anonymous re- which was created in re-
The organization an- port, but we had no way sponse to cases in swim-
nounced a deal with Re- to follow up with that indi- ming, gymnastics and oth-
alResponse on Monday, vidual if we had additional er Olympic sports.
which is international Safe questions or didn’t have Though not affiliated with
Sport Day. enough information, or the SafeSport center, Re- Swimmers compete during the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in
One feature in RealRe- wanted to let them know alResponse started offer- Omaha, Neb., on June 20, 2021.
sponse’s technology is the what we were doing to fol- ing its own technology five Associated Press
ability to exchange infor- low up,” said Abigail How- years ago to help organiza-
mation with anonymous re- ard, who oversees the di- tions streamline reporting pany’s founder, David than 100 college sports
porters via text without the rector of USA Swimming’s and keep better track of Chadwick, is “providing a programs, a handful of NFL
reporters having to identify safe sport program. the way they process and safe space for people to teams and the National
themselves. Though organi- USA Swimming plans to resolve cases. At times, or- speak up and doing it in a Women’s Soccer League.
zations can often act more make the technology avail- ganizations get into legal really accessible and easy In the Olympic realm, USA
decisively when victims able to its approximately trouble because there’s to use way and, frankly, Swimming joins USA Track
or witnesses attach their 400,000 members. insufficient documenta- helping leaders of these and Field, US Equestrian,
names to reports, anony- The national governing tion to show how they re- organizations identify issues USA Gymnastics and the
mous reporting is crucial body is a defendant in sponded when told about faster before they become U.S. Anti-Doping Agency
because often victims fear several lawsuits claiming it a case. bigger crisis.” RealRe- among the organizations
retribution if their names failed to protect them from The mission, says the com- sponse has deals with more that have signed on.q