Despite not officially announcing his deal with Nike yet, Rory McIlroy and Nike are both getting a lot of publicity from their alleged deal. However, it is not the publicity that Rory and Nike had hoped for. Last week, Oakley filed a lawsuit in federal court in Santa Ana, California, claiming the Oakley-McIlroy contract was breached.
The basis for this claim was that Rory and his agent, Conor Ridge, ignored Oakley’s counteroffer to Nike’s contract. As a result, Oakley was unable to use its “right of first refusal” in its contract with Rory. This contract clause “allowed Oakley to match any offer that included payments to McIlroy for glasses and clothing” but if Oakley was to match Nike’s contract, its partnership with Rory would extend into 2013 instead of ending on December 31.
There are a lot of nitty gritty details to Oakley’s claims but in a nutshell, Oakley is seeking compensation for the alleged damage that resulted from the ending of its relationship with Rory. With Rory ascending to the #1 player in the world and having such a fantastic 2012 season, his profile is at an all time high. We shouldn’t be surprised that Oakley is so reluctant to let Rory walk away and join forces with Tiger Woods at Nike.
Source: ESPN
