Floyd Mayweather Jr. has avoided appearing for court-ordered depositions in the defamation suit raised by Manny Pacquiao the last few months. Making matters worse is that Pacquiao’s team argued Floyd chose to party instead of getting deposed. According to TMZ, Mayweather’s lawyers are arguing that he wasn’t avoiding the depositions but rather partying because it’s part of his job.
In the documents, Mayweather’s lawyers reportedly claim the nightclubbing is “not random acts of partying, but calculated promotional events designed to appeal to [Floyd’s] fan base and maintain his public presence.”
That was the excuse they used for Floyd missing the depositions in the past. More recently, he’s cited his training regimen as the reason he’s been unavailable.
It’s a creative argument by Mayweather’s legal team to be certain, but it likely will be dismissed by a judge. Floyd does have a public persona to maintain, but there’s no reason he couldn’t take one night off his busy schedule to be deposed. Plus, the whole “maintaining an image” argument brings up a related point.
We mentioned earlier this week that Floyd complains he never gets his due. That’s factually incorrect; Floyd receives plenty of credit for what he’s done, he just chooses to ignore it. The reasoning is simple: Mayweather is motivated by his critics. His bank accounts are filled by haters who want to see him lose and fans who want to see him win. Part of the reason his fans love him is because they think his free spending ways are cool. Why else would Floyd advertise that he has a $50,000 iPod, money stacks for a birthday cake, and that he wagers millions of dollars on sports bets?
This is all part of the perception game so many public figures like to play. Do you really think the Boston Bruins spent $156K at the club celebrating their Stanley Cup victory? Of course not — the club owners advertised the information to make it seem like spending thousands of dollars at clubs is the cool thing to do.
I believe Floyd’s lawyers when they say the whole “Money” persona is part of an act, I just don’t think that will fly as an excuse in court.
