Patrick Reed depicted as a win-at-all-costs competitor and accused of cheating in a new book excerpt

[mvmac]

I don't see it that way at all, I just figured he put it that way because anything else beyond UGA isn't affiliated with him.

That was my thinking as well. He doesn't want to overstep and comment on something outside of his time with Reed.

[DeadMan]

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. My view is that if Reed's hands were truly clean, why doesn't the coach come out and simply say that? Why not just say, "No one ever brought any cheating or theft allegations against Reed to my attention." Why add the while Reed was at UGA part?

In the end, not a huge deal. Even without that affidavit, there are enough people coming out of the woodwork here that you could still conclude there's some truth to these allegations.

[MSDOGS1976]

Yeah, it's mealy mouthed lawyer crap. And I would know, because I'm a lawyer.

lol. I'm not a lawyer, but it reads that way to me.

One thing about it, its doubtful Reed will ever push the envelope on tour because there will be plenty of eyes on him. Heck, with tv there are plenty of eyes on everyone.

[newtogolf]

The use of qualifiers does make the affidavit seem forced and contrived.  The UGA coach had an opportunity to clear Reed of all suspicions but he didn't which still leaves open questions regarding Reeds character.

None of this really matters unless Reed is accused of or is caught cheating as a pro.  We're all pretty much in agreement that Reed isn't ever going to win a Mr. Congeniality award so I'm not sure what purpose these articles serve other than to carry out some personal vendetta.

[bman1313]

Some interesting stuff in this article.

March 12, 2015 A former teammate speaks out on Patrick Reed’s suspension at Augusta State By Stephanie Wei under General

http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/a-former-teammate-speaks-out-on-patrick-reeds-suspension-at-augusta-state

[Big C]

Some interesting stuff in this article.

March 12, 2015 A former teammate speaks out on Patrick Reed’s suspension at Augusta State By Stephanie Wei under General

http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/a-former-teammate-speaks-out-on-patrick-reeds-suspension-at-augusta-state

I agree, very interesting. And the allegations are specific enough that I'm inclined to believe they are true.

Still not a fan of using "unnamed sources," but I guess that is a reality of journalism these days.

[cubdog]

I can only hope Reed has grown up. Getting married and having a child may have helped him in this regard. I'm all for giving the guy another chance to prove he's learned from his mistakes but he better not do anything even remotely questionable. With his reputation even the slightest misstep will have dire consequences I'm sure.

cubdog

[Lastpick]

I find it odd that the players waited until well after the scores were posted to make an accusation of cheating.  I also find it odd the the coach at Augusta State allowed the team to vote on whether Reed would stay on the team.  I just don't find this story worthy of going after the career of Reed.

[JetFan1983]

Just posted on Deadspin:

http://deadspin.com/patrick-reed-takes-a-swing-at-defending-himself-slices-1691181098

Quote:

Patrick Reed Takes A Swing At Defending Himself, Slices Into The Woods

A month ago we republished a feature by Shane Ryan about golfer Patrick Reed's tumultuous college career. The story was an adapted version of material that will appear in Ryan's upcoming book, Slaying The Tiger , and had previously appeared on the site Tobacco Road Blues . The article told of how Reed was kicked off the golf team from the University of Georgia after two arrests, and included accusations from teammates at both UGA and later Augusta State that he stole from them and cheated at golf. Altogether, it painted a not-too-pretty picture of the early career of the man who's now the PGA Tour's 16th ranked player.

This weekend Reed sat down for an interview with the Golf Channel, and came out swinging against some of the allegations included in the article. You can watch the segment below.

Reed opened by saying that "none of the stuff is true, all of its false," and that he has sent letters to Ryan and to Ballantine Books demanding a retraction. He went on to assert that he was kicked out of UGA because of two "drinking incidents"—not for stealing or cheating. He stated that he has received letters from both of his college coaches—Chris Haack at UGA and John Gregory at Augusta State—backing up his version of the facts.

In reaction to Reed's interview, Ryan tweeted that he stood squarely behind his reporting, and as golf journalist Stephanie Wei has chronicled on her website with her own independent reporting, Reed's claims in the interview don't stand up to scrutiny.

First, in a now-deleted tweet that Wei managed to screenshot, one of Reed's teammates at Augusta State, Taylor Floyd, tweeted to Ryan "Shane my man. Just saw our boy p reed spitting some garbage thru his teeth on the golf channel. Hit me up." This was then retweeted by three others who golfed with Reed at Augusta State. Floyd also tweeted to Ryan, "You're not the only one who wants this dude's nonsense to come to light."

Utilizing Georgia's Open Record Act, Wei was then able to obtain the letter Reed's coach at UGA, Chris Haack, wrote for him, because Haack used university counsel. Wei reports that Georgia's legal affairs representative wrote of Haack's statement, "please note that this is not an affidavit," meaning that it was not sworn under oath. Here's what Haack signed his name to:

While Patrick Reed was at UGA, I was not aware of any allegations of cheating or theft against him, and therefore, allegations of cheating or theft played no role in his dismissal from the UGA golf team.

This does indeed back up Reed's claim that he was kicked off Georgia's golf team for alcohol infractions only, but it is very important to note that this is exactly what Ryan reported. Reed's only successful refutation was of a claim that Ryan never made.

And, as Wei points out, Haack only became aware of the allegations of cheating and stealing against Reed after he'd already transferred schools. Reed's teammates (and an assistant coach) knew about the alleged cheating and stealing, but never brought their concerns to Haack. Haack's statement is a matter of semantics: it doesn't reveal anything that wasn't already known, and more important, it doesn't contradict anything in Ryan's story.

This flurry of controversy has prompted an anonymous former Augusta State golfer to tell Wei all about his time as Reed's teammate. He alleges that Reed was caught falsifying his score in two consecutive qualifying rounds, and that the team met with coach John Gregory and unanimously voted to kick Reed out of the program:

Shortly after, Gregory and the team met without Reed. Gregory explained what would happen if they decided to kick Reed out—this would be the second controversial ending for him at a school, and would likely have ended his college career, since no team would be willing to pick him up after that. Gregory seemed to feel sorry for Patrick. At that point, the team held a vote, and they chose unanimously to kick Reed off the team. Gregory accepted their decision, and seemed to respect it.

After talking with friends and Reed's father, this anonymous former teammate told Wei, Gregory reconsidered the decision and instead suspended Reed for the first two tournaments of the season. While this angered those who felt Gregory hadn't respected their decision, it paid off for Augusta State, who won two straight national titles on the strength of Reed's play.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

Just posted on Deadspin:

http://deadspin.com/patrick-reed-takes-a-swing-at-defending-himself-slices-1691181098

Quote:

Patrick Reed Takes A Swing At Defending Himself, Slices Into The Woods

A month ago we republished a feature by Shane Ryan about golfer Patrick Reed's tumultuous college career. The story was an adapted version of material that will appear in Ryan's upcoming book, Slaying The Tiger , and had previously appeared on the site Tobacco Road Blues . The article told of how Reed was kicked off the golf team from the University of Georgia after two arrests, and included accusations from teammates at both UGA and later Augusta State that he stole from them and cheated at golf. Altogether, it painted a not-too-pretty picture of the early career of the man who's now the PGA Tour's 16th ranked player.

This weekend Reed sat down for an interview with the Golf Channel, and came out swinging against some of the allegations included in the article. You can watch the segment below.

Reed opened by saying that "none of the stuff is true, all of its false," and that he has sent letters to Ryan and to Ballantine Books demanding a retraction. He went on to assert that he was kicked out of UGA because of two "drinking incidents"—not for stealing or cheating. He stated that he has received letters from both of his college coaches—Chris Haack at UGA and John Gregory at Augusta State—backing up his version of the facts.

In reaction to Reed's interview, Ryan tweeted that he stood squarely behind his reporting, and as golf journalist Stephanie Wei has chronicled on her website with her own independent reporting, Reed's claims in the interview don't stand up to scrutiny.

First, in a now-deleted tweet that Wei managed to screenshot, one of Reed's teammates at Augusta State, Taylor Floyd, tweeted to Ryan "Shane my man. Just saw our boy p reed spitting some garbage thru his teeth on the golf channel. Hit me up." This was then retweeted by three others who golfed with Reed at Augusta State. Floyd also tweeted to Ryan, "You're not the only one who wants this dude's nonsense to come to light."

Utilizing Georgia's Open Record Act, Wei was then able to obtain the letter Reed's coach at UGA, Chris Haack, wrote for him, because Haack used university counsel. Wei reports that Georgia's legal affairs representative wrote of Haack's statement, "please note that this is not an affidavit," meaning that it was not sworn under oath. Here's what Haack signed his name to:

While Patrick Reed was at UGA, I was not aware of any allegations of cheating or theft against him, and therefore, allegations of cheating or theft played no role in his dismissal from the UGA golf team.

This does indeed back up Reed's claim that he was kicked off Georgia's golf team for alcohol infractions only, but it is very important to note that this is exactly what Ryan reported. Reed's only successful refutation was of a claim that Ryan never made.

And, as Wei points out, Haack only became aware of the allegations of cheating and stealing against Reed after he'd already transferred schools. Reed's teammates (and an assistant coach) knew about the alleged cheating and stealing, but never brought their concerns to Haack. Haack's statement is a matter of semantics: it doesn't reveal anything that wasn't already known, and more important, it doesn't contradict anything in Ryan's story.

This flurry of controversy has prompted an anonymous former Augusta State golfer to tell Wei all about his time as Reed's teammate. He alleges that Reed was caught falsifying his score in two consecutive qualifying rounds, and that the team met with coach John Gregory and unanimously voted to kick Reed out of the program:

Shortly after, Gregory and the team met without Reed. Gregory explained what would happen if they decided to kick Reed out—this would be the second controversial ending for him at a school, and would likely have ended his college career, since no team would be willing to pick him up after that. Gregory seemed to feel sorry for Patrick. At that point, the team held a vote, and they chose unanimously to kick Reed off the team. Gregory accepted their decision, and seemed to respect it.

After talking with friends and Reed's father, this anonymous former teammate told Wei, Gregory reconsidered the decision and instead suspended Reed for the first two tournaments of the season. While this angered those who felt Gregory hadn't respected their decision, it paid off for Augusta State, who won two straight national titles on the strength of Reed's play.

Seems to me that the Augusta State coach was desperate enough for a win that he went against the teams wishes.  Just another "win at all costs" story.

[RFKFREAK]

I agree, very interesting. And the allegations are specific enough that I'm inclined to believe they are true.

Still not a fan of using "unnamed sources," but I guess that is a reality of journalism these days.

Not sure about these days.  After all, it was an anonymous source that helped bring down President Nixon.

Personally, I think how much you can trust an anonymous source really is based on what you think of the reporter's judgement of that how honest the source is and of how reputable you think the reporter is.

[newtogolf]

I don't like unnamed sources either but in these litigious days one has to be careful about slander lawsuits unless they have documented proof to defend themselves.  One thing is pretty clear, Reed's ex-teammates must really dislike him if they are the ones sharing this information which will damage his reputation and possibly his career.

[rkim291968]

I can only hope Reed has grown up. Getting married and having a child may have helped him in this regard. I'm all for giving the guy another chance to prove he's learned from his mistakes but he better not do anything even remotely questionable. With his reputation even the slightest misstep will have dire consequences I'm sure.

cubdog

I don't know about Reed growing up.  That kind of personality will only get worse with success & ego boost that comes with it.  But as long as he does well in the world golf scene, Golf Channel and  other media will hype him up ("he's a fierce competitor" crap), and most fans will accept & even love him.   He will even be an instant hero if he creeps up to be the 5th world ranked golfer.   GC will be saying how Reed was right in claiming he was a top 5 golfer in the world albeit prematurely.

[cubdog]

I don't know about Reed growing up.  That kind of personality will only get worse with success & ego boost that comes with it.  But as long as he does well in the world golf scene, Golf Channel and  other media will hype him up ("he's a fierce competitor" crap), and most fans will accept & even love him.   He will even be an instant hero if he creeps up to be the 5th world ranked golfer.   GC will be saying how Reed was right in claiming he was a top 5 golfer in the world albeit prematurely.

Some people do change, grow up, mature, or however one wants to phrase it. Will Reed? Is he capable of changing ? Maybe not but I don't think any of us, who don't know him, can say for certain

I am disappointed in the coverage, or lack there of, by the golf media. At least by the big boys who seem to have taken a let's wait and see attitude toward the whole story. Todd Lewis's sit down, with him,  seems like a big waste of time from what I saw. I understand the golf media are in kind of a tricky position without any hard evidence to go on. I would hope someone is doing some real investigative work into this story because I doubt it's going to just go away.

cubdog

[Tical1969]

So what ? You golfers knows 2 things by heart.

You cannot cheat in golf except with yourself.....

And only TIME and stats will tell. (so far they are with him...)

And remember than being arrogant, sarcastic...or only "young" does not make you a liar or a cheater.

END OF THIS POLUTION  PLEASE......

[Fourputt]

So what ? You golfers knows 2 things by heart.

You cannot cheat in golf except with yourself.....

And only TIME and stats will tell. (so far they are with him...)

And remember than being arrogant, sarcastic...or only "young" does not make you a liar or a cheater.

END OF THIS POLUTION  PLEASE......

This statement is just plain ignorant.  In competition, cheating doesn't hurt you at all, it's done solely to put your opponent at a disadvantage.  It is despicable, and if Reed did in fact do so, then he is deserving of nothing but revile.

[cubdog]

So what ? You golfers knows 2 things by heart.

You cannot cheat in golf except with yourself.....

And only TIME and stats will tell. (so far they are with him...)

And remember than being arrogant, sarcastic...or only "young" does not make you a liar or a cheater.

END OF THIS POLUTION  PLEASE......

Nothing wrong with this thread. If anything I think we've all, for the most part, been very respectful towards Mr. Reed. I'm a fan and hope the allegations prove to be false but I'm not going to turn a blind eye to them. These are serious questions being raised and there not just going to disappear.

cubdog