David Cornwell
Well-known sports attorney David Cornwell joins Bob Wallace as his guest on After the Buzzer for the second time. Bob and David have worked with each other at the NFL, the Sports Lawyers Association, and on matters of diversity and inclusion in the National Football League. David previously appeared on Episode 6 of After the Buzzer.
In this episode, David and Bob discuss David’s latest legal challenge in representing several golfers, including Dustin Johnson, who have joined the LIV Golf tour, a new eight-event golf series taking place across North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia that's garnered major press (and controversy) in the golf world due to its financial backing by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Today’s podcast will explore what the LIV Tour is, what direction David hopes it will go and include a candid conversation about the controversies surrounding it.
On David’s passion with golf makes his work with LIV so enjoyable:
“I got to play in the Pro-Am for the Saudi International this year in February in Saudi Arabia. I played with Phil Michelson. And you know, golf is just part of the lifestyle as and I’m addicted so this project doesn’t even feel like work.”
David on the team aspect of LIV:
“The concept is that there will be 12 teams of four players, a total of 48. The 12 teams will have a principal players who also have an equity interest in the team…One of the most exciting times in golf is the Ryder Cup and the presence of the cup and the team competition really kind changes the dynamic of the game.”
David on the controversy of the Saudi government’s involvement:
“Critics have used the term 'sports washing' to imply our colleagues in Saudi Arabia are using sports to 'sports wash' the country's human rights records. But since the first Olympic Games, sports have always been used as a tool for political and cultural engagement. If that’s ‘sports washing,’ give me ‘sports washing.’ It makes a difference…Sports have been used in America as the tip of the spear in the civil rights movement.”
After the Buzzer: Episode guide
Read the full transcript here.