Brandel Chamblee continues to make headlines in the golfing world.
Brandel Chamblee: PGA Tour LIV Golf deal will be ‘blocked’ by DOJ
The longtime Golf Channel analyst has vehemently opposed LIV Golf and its beneficiaries; he continues to take this stance.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Following the bombshell news of the PGA Tour partnering with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Chamblee, a renowned critic of the Saudi Kingdom and LIV Golf, said Thursday that the deal will be “blocked.”
“If it’s not blocked by the player board, it will likely be blocked by the DOJ, and if not that regulatory committee, the Senate,” Chamblee tweeted. “And then the regulatory review of the EU and equivalent bodies in Asia. This is a long way from being a done deal.”
Since the pending deal with the PGA and the PIF crosses international boundaries, the stakeholders involved have numerous steps to take.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) may apply here.
FARA made news last week after the PR firm Gitcho Goodwin, now a former client of LIV, filed as a foreign agent with the U.S. Justice Department. This law requires individuals and organizations representing a foreign principal to file important information such as income, money, spending, oral agreements, and the nature of its business.
One of the Senate’s most important committees, the Foreign Relations Committee, which influences and develops United States foreign policy, will likely examine this deal too.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has received tons of criticism for his deal with PIF from not only Chamblee, but also from politicians, players, golf fans, and even 9/11 Families United.
But Monahan would not have made this bombshell announcement had he not had various pieces in place.
Working alongside him throughout these negotiations were Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy, two PGA Tour board members.
Dunne works in investment banking, where he specializes in mergers and acquisitions, per Golf Digest.
Herlihy also works in mergers and acquisitions, as he is one of the top attorneys in this field. According to Golf Monthly, Herlihy helped advise Bank of America acquire Merill Lynch during the 2008 financial crisis.
“There were two prominent Policy Board members that sat side by side with me,” Monahan said. “Chairman Ed Herlihy as well as Jimmy Dunne, and ultimately we got to the point where we finalized everything.”
Yet, numerous other pieces must fall into place before this deal becomes official. The U.S. Department of Justice, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, plus numerous attorneys, all need to review the details of this further.
So Chamblee may have a valid point.
Whether the U.S. Government blocks this deal remains to be seen.
Whether or not Chamblee is ultimately wrong, however, could take months or even years to know as this process wears on.
