Last week Deadspin published a lengthy takedown of RJ Bell, founder of Pregame.com — a sports betting website. This week, Bell says he has hired attorney Charles Harder to respond to Deadspin over what he claims is a “hit piece.”
The piece on Deadspin was called “How America’s Favorite Sports Betting Expert Turned A Sucker’s Game Into An Industry,” and it detailed the way Bell has run his business and explains some of the alleged scams. For instance, they go into great lengths to dispute the stats of the touts Bell has on his site who sell their picks, and they ultimate show how many of them have losing records over time.
Bell explained via email sent to Larry Brown Sports and others Friday how he has responded.
Still, it feels wrong to sit back and let anybody be misled about what the Pregame team has spent so long building. The lies were extreme enough for attorney Charles Harder (Hulk Hogan’s lead counsel against Gawker) to take Pregame’s case. Mr. Harder sent Deadspin a 9-Page Legal Demand Letter. This isn’t about money for us. We are insisting upon a full retraction.
Beyond the libel, defamation, and other legal violations, there were 28 additional Deadspin deceptions – requiring 12 more written pages to detail their rampant dishonesty. Both of these documents have received wide coverage. No reasonable person could be aware of all the facts and believe their disingenuous story.
As noted in the email, Harder is the same attorney who has represented Hulk Hogan against Gawker. Harder has filed many suits/complaints against Gawker, and he is backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, whose aim is to put Gawker out of business.
