Legendary golfer Gary Player has been embroiled in a bizarre scandal, releasing a statement disavowing the sale of his memorabilia by his own son.
“I would like to draw the public’s attention to the fact that several trophies and other pieces of memorabilia that form part of my legacy have been put up for auction by my son and ex-manager, Marc,” Player wrote in a statement.
“These items belong to me and I have taken action to recover them.
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“I have placed no items for sale – whether by auction or otherwise.”
The 86-year-old won nine major titles, but has had his name dragged into the headlines on multiple occasions in recent history due to the conduct of his sons.
Wayne Player was banned from Augusta National following the 2021 Masters after trying to advertise a brand of golf balls on camera during the tournament broadcast, and was arrested over fraud charges at the 2018 event.
Interestingly, Marc labeled his brother’s actions last year as ‘an embarrassment’ at the timebut now finds himself at the front of this memorabilia scandal.
Legal counsel for Gary Player told Golf Digest via a statement that “The auction house has taken the trophies down from the online auction and is holding them pending resolution of the dispute.”
It comes after a settlement was reached between Gary and Marc, where the hall of famer received a $5 million settlement and the rights to his name and likeness via an arbitration panel back in 2020.
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