Is Vijay a Jerk or "Justified": Files Suit Against PGA Tour

[Chas]

He is accused of knowingly using a banned substance, simple as that.  If he had any sense he'd just suck it up and pay the fine - and perhaps learn a lesson about compliance.

The irony is that he is indeed is one of the biggest, most powerful guys on tour.  I still remember watching him powering out of deep rough on the 18th at Torrey North a few years ago - I was standing a short distance away, most impressive.  That was the biggest divot I've ever seen fly through the air.  No, he doesn't need IGF-1, or HGH or EGF or any other growth factor/hormone/whatever.  Silly.

I still think he's a pretty decent guy, just misguided and a little gullible.  There are worse things in life.

[clutchshot]

"suspended? Doug kick him off the tour!" Shooter McGavin

[dave67az]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Ultimately when you accuse someone of using PED's you're accusing them of cheating.  I think we'd all agree there is nothing worse you could call a golfer than "cheater".   When you damage a persons reputation you impact their ability to earn a living.

What the PGA Tour did is the equivalent of you getting arrested for DWI because you were drinking a bottle of O'Douls non-alcoholic beer while driving.

I understand the analogy.  But isn't this more like when a guy says in an interview that he drove drunk and is sent to court based on his own words.  I still haven't seen any statements that the PGA Tour made that accused him of anything.  When the story broke, they weren't saying ANYTHING except that they were going to look into it.  I guess I missed those statements, because a lot of this thread is complaints about how the PGA Tour was keeping too quiet about the whole thing.  Let's not blame the PGA Tour for comments made by guys on the Golf channel, ESPN, or made by his fellow competitors (there were plenty of people there damning him).

[dave67az]

I wanted to add to my analogy but couldn't edit my post.

But isn't this more like when a guy says in an interview that he drove drunk and is sent to court based on his own words...and then he found out he really just drank an O'Douls.

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by dave67az

I wanted to add to my analogy but couldn't edit my post.

But isn't this more like when a guy says in an interview that he drove drunk and is sent to court based on his own words...and then he found out he really just drank an O'Douls.

It's more like getting pulled over and when the police officer asks you if you were drinking you tell him just O'Douls and he still arrests you for DWI.

PGA Tour should have checked with WADA before sanctioning Singh in February.  I've stated for many months that Deer Antler Spray was not a PED, and anyone that knows about supplements would have known this as well.  IMO, if the PGA Tour is going to drug test, they have a responsibility to be educated on the products.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

Ultimately when you accuse someone of using PED's you're accusing them of cheating.  I think we'd all agree there is nothing worse you could call a golfer than "cheater".   When you damage a persons reputation you impact their ability to earn a living.

What the PGA Tour did is the equivalent of you getting arrested for DWI because you were drinking a bottle of O'Douls non-alcoholic beer while driving.

But by the time the Tour imposed the initial penalty the damage to his image had already occurred and the Tour had NOTHING to do with that.  It stemmed directly from his own statements and admissions in the SI article.  Even if he were to win the lawsuit the question is what the damages were that are attributable to the actions of the Tour.  I can't see anyway he could even win the suit itself, given that he clearly took a substance that was on the banned substance list.  And does he really want to sit in a disposition where the first question he is asked is "Mr. Singh, have you ever been accused of, or sanctioned for, cheating?"

Your DWI analogy breaks down because it isn't as if the rules said no beer allowed and then they tried to penalize him for drinking O'Douls.  It is more like the rules said no O'Douls allowed and he drank O'Douls.  The rule maybe didn't make sense, and breaking the rule may not have conferred any advantage, but the rule was there and he violated it.    A better analogy might be a rules infraction where the infraction did not confer an advantage.  Like Craig Stadler's towel penalty.  Putting that towel down to keep his pants clean did not confer a playing advantage yet it was against the rules and drew a penalty.

And again, let's not forget that it was NOT the Tour that first accused him of using a PED.  He accused himself of using a banned substance with an assist from SI.

[JesseV]

May Ole Veej forever more be known as the "The Cheatin' Fijian."

[dave67az]

Since apparently memory is something that is as reliable in some golfers as it is in fishermen, I'd like to remind those of you who are making claims about what the PGA Tour did that hurt Vijay that you're probably thinking about someone else and NOT the PGA Tour.  ESPN is not the PGA Tour.  The Golf Channel is not the PGA Tour.  Bob's Sports Blog is not the PGA Tour.

I pulled this article from 23 April 2013 (less than 3 weeks ago).  At this point, the PGA Tour had not announced ANYTHING about Vijay or the investigation.  You can claim they sanctioned him in February if you want, but it doesn't make it true.  You can claim that Vijay's lawyer is right that the PGA Tour was responsible for this media circus, but it doesn't make it true.  The PGA Tour was SILENT about the whole issue and didn't make an announcement until they announced that (1) the initial decision was a sanction and (2) Vijay appealed and after the WADA changes the case was dropped.

"Nearly three full months after it was revealed that Vijay Singh had used deer-antler spray, which contains IGF-1, a banned substance under the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy, there is still no news regarding any sort of punishment.

When asked Monday about whether a decision has been reached regarding Singh’s situation, Tour executive vice president of communications Ty Votaw simply said, “No.” When asked if there was a timeframe for such a decision, he similarly responded in the negative." (http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/still-no-word-from-tour-on-singh-drug-ruling/)

[CrappyGilmore]

I still can't get my ahead around this case, so haven't voted. Is he right because he wasn't taking a banned substance, simple as, or is he wrong because he was stupid enough to fall for a placebo which he intended to get an unfair advantage from?

It's crazy.

[mailman]

Hahahhaa, here we go again!

We had 8 pages of this rubbish on the first thread which could have been completely avoided had the PGA had a common sense policy for using banned substances instead of outsourcing this to someone else to manage for them and as it turns out, the spray has been removed anyway.

I guess those who hate Vijay will continue to hate him regardless of what he does.

Regards

Mailman

[jjlafond98]

I u sed to like him a little but no w like OH MY GOD! JERK FACE!

[JaxGolfer1]

I can't be the only one here intetested to see if Singh sues the USGA regarding the anchoring ban to make it a clean sweep, am I?

[allin]

What this suit proves is that a proud but poorly educated golfer had his feelings hurt. Unfortunately his attorneys wouldn't tell him no or he insisted and they are willing to take his money. The tour might actually settle for a nominal amount just to avoid further publicity.

[jjlafond98]

Ha ha I'm with you brother!

[Mozgolf]

PGA blunders around and puts an item on the list that has no PED, the player 'fesses up to using it. The world media and forum hacks very publicly pillory him, jumping on the Vijay is a bad guy bandwagon. He gets pissed and has a crack back at them and he is the jerk. Take a deep breath and have a look at the criticism he has been subjected to for months. How happy would you be in his shoes?

[notsohard]

just hoping Tarantino makes this a movie.

[dave67az]

Originally Posted by Mozgolf

PGA blunders around and puts an item on the list that has no PED, the player 'fesses up to using it. The world media and forum hacks very publicly pillory him, jumping on the Vijay is a bad guy bandwagon. He gets pissed and has a crack back at them and he is the jerk. Take a deep breath and have a look at the criticism he has been subjected to for months. How happy would you be in his shoes?

Agreed!  The PGA Tour should have ignored WADA guidelines and never tried to get Golf in the Olympics, then we wouldn't be having this problem.  And it's stupid to think that professional golfers should be expected to read and adhere to rules.  They should be allowed to do whatever they want.

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Mozgolf

PGA blunders around and puts an item on the list that has no PED, the player 'fesses up to using it. The world media and forum hacks very publicly pillory him, jumping on the Vijay is a bad guy bandwagon. He gets pissed and has a crack back at them and he is the jerk. Take a deep breath and have a look at the criticism he has been subjected to for months. How happy would you be in his shoes?

A) The Tour didn't put it on the list, at the time it was on the international list that the Tour and almost every other sport uses.

B) The Tour didn't publicize his use of the substance - he did it himself by talking about it with a reporter who did an article.

C) The Tour never said a word about it until the statement clearing him.  He may have taken criticism about it, but that was not because of anything the Tour did.

I would not be happy in his shoes, but I wouldn't try to shift the blame from myself, where it truly lies, to the Tour which did almost nothing at all to bring on the public calumny.  And THAT, my friend, is why he is being a jerk.