The 5½-year lawsuit between Vijay Singh and the PGA Tour that stemmed from the player’s anti-doping suspension has been settled, according to a statement from the PGA Tour.
Here the statement about pic.twitter.com/0kjNP4Gass
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) November 21, 2018
The entire affair was the result of Singh admitting in a Sports Illustrated article that he had taken deer antler spray, a supplement that contained IGF-1, a growth hormone that was on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned substance list. The Tour, who treats an admission of taking a banned substance as a positive test, subsequently suspended Singh for three months.
“As a result of the PGA Tour’s action, Singh has been labeled by the PGA Tour, media, some fellow golfers and fans as someone who intentionally took a banned substance in an effort to gain a competitive advantage,” Singh’s lawsuit read.
Two months into Singh’s suspension, the punishment was rescinded by then-PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem who said that WADA had removed IGF-1 from its banned substances list.
The lawsuit marched on for five years until this week.
“The PGA Tour and Vijay Singh are pleased to announce that we have resolved our prior dispute,” the statment said. “The settlement reflects our mutual commitment to look to the future as we put this matter behind us.
“The PGA Tour recognizes that Vijay is one of the hardest working golfers ever to play the game, and does not believe that he intended to gain an unfair advantage over his fellow competitors in this matter. Vijay fully supports the PGA Tour’s anti-doping program and all efforts to protect the integrity of the game that he loves so much.”
The Associated Press reached Jeffrey Rosenblum, one of Singh’s attorneys for comment.
“I’m very happy for Vijay that the matter has been resolved,” Rosenblum said.
Neither side offered any further comment on the settlement.
