The fallout from Good Good Golf’s controversial ad for a Callaway co-branded driver – which depicted casual violence towards a woman – has now extended to the courthouse.
Jeffrey Lefkovits, former vice president of brand and marketing at Good Good, filed a defamation suit against his former employer and its former CEO and president, Matthew Kendrick, on October 29 in District Court in Dallas County, Texas. Lefkovits is seeking $1 million in monetary relief, according to court documents obtained by Athletics.
Lefkovits claims that Good Good and Kendrick wrongly scapegoated him for the creative direction of the commercial and that the violent scene in question was not part of the original script approved by Lefkovits.
The Good Good commercial was designed to spoof the supernatural horror film “Obsession,” promoting the Callaway driver as an addictive piece of equipment. In it, Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark charges at Good Good Girls band member Alexis Miestowski and pushes her to the ground. As he stands over her, he says in a threatening tone, “Don’t touch my new driver.” »
The ad drew widespread criticism after Good Good shared it on social media in August, and the golf influencer collective lost several high-profile partnerships, including its long-standing relationship with Callaway. Some retailers, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target, have removed Good Good products from their shelves.
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Lefkovits alleges that the violent scene was not in the script that Good Good content creator Sam Stamey wrote and shared with him a month earlier. Lefkovits says he approved this publicity plan, but was not in the office when it was filmed.
“On set, and without Lefkovits’ knowledge or participation, the crew decided to film a shot in which Clark runs up to Miestowski, pushes her to the ground and, standing over her, says, ‘Hands off my new driver,'” the lawsuit reads.
Lefkovits, who claims to have signed the revised ad after Callaway also did so, claims that after Callaway ended its partnership with Good Good, Kendrick’s narrative changed as to who was responsible for the company’s mistake and misjudgment.
The suit alleges that, at first, Kendrick explained to staff that the responsibility fell on him as CEO. Then, a few days later, Kendrick’s story changed: He told Front Office Sports that the marketing team had approved the ad and that Good Good had “removed the people responsible” for it.
On August 26, Good Good terminated Lefkovits’ employment. When Lefkovits asked if his name would be shared publicly, he said in the lawsuit, Kendrick assured him it would not. Five days later, Front Office Sports published an article revealing that Lefkovits’ employment had been terminated.
Lefkovits claims his reputation in the industry was tarnished and he has been unable to find new employment since.
“With each day that passes without Defendants recanting their false statement, Lefkovits’ ability to provide for his family is further diminished,” the lawsuit states.
Kendrick, who ultimately resigned from office, did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the lawsuit.
A Good Good spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. “Our focus remains on creating a positive environment for our players, partners and fans, as well as the future of Good Good Golf,” the spokesperson said.
The lawsuit also provides details about how the company’s channels approved the original Good Good commercial, according to Lefkovits. It alleges that Stamey circulated an early draft of the ad on August 18, passing around a phone at the table with the Good Good art team. No one has suggested any changes, Lefkovits says.
Then, Lefkovits said, the next morning, Good Good sent the edit to Callaway. Callaway’s director of content and production at the time, Alex Upegui, responded: “Sweet. It’s good to continue on our end.” The same day, Lefkovits claims he sent the edit to Good Good management and that no one objected to the violent scene. Upegui has since left Callaway.
A teaser of the video was released that day and the full commercial was made public on August 20, drawing immediate criticism.
Gn sports
