Fired Good Good Golf exec sues for $1M and claims he was scape-goated for controversial ad

A former Good Good Golf executive is suing the company and its former CEO for defamation, alleging he was falsely scapegoated for a widely criticized advertisement that depicted a male co-founder of the company pushing a female colleague to the ground.Jeffrey Lefkovits, former vice president of brand and marketing at Good Good, filed the $1 million lawsuit October 29 in Dallas County district court in Texas against the golf brand and former CEO Matt Kendrick.The lawsuit stems from an August 20 co-branded driver commercial featuring Callaway Golf. In the video, Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoves colleague Alexis Miestowski, a member of the Good Good Girls group, to the ground. In the ad, Clark warns her: “Do not touch my new driver.”According to court documents seen by Front Office Sports, Lefkovits approved an initial concept titled “‘OBSESSED’ Thriller Parody Skit without Garrett” on July 15, which had been pitched by former creative director of content, Sam Stamey.“Critical to this lawsuit, the script contained no scene in which Clark shoves Good Good member Alexis Miestowski, and no depiction of domestic violence, pushing, or shoving of any kind,” the lawsuit reads.A former Good Good Golf executive has filed a defamation suit against the brand and its former chief executive, claiming he was falsely blamed for a controversial commercial that showed a male creator shoving a female colleague to the ground (Getty Images)Stamey presented the script to Callaway August 4. Following that meeting, former Good Good head of content Logan Spence texted: “Callaway all good. Sam did a great job.”However, the lawsuit asserts that while Lefkovits was out of the office August 6, other scenes were filmed without his knowledge or input.“While he was out of the office, a shot that appeared nowhere in that script — Good Good co-founder Garrett Clark shoving a woman to the ground — was conceived and filmed on set,” the lawsuit states. “Without Lefkovits’s knowledge or participation, the team decided to film a shot in which Clark runs at Miestowski, shoves her to the ground, and, standing over her, says, ‘Do not touch my new driver.’”Stamey circulated a first cut on August 18 to internal teams and Callaway content director Alex Upegui, who gave written sign-off. Upon receiving the edit, Lefkovits forwarded the draft — which included the newly added shove scene — to Spence and co-founders Max Putnam and Colin Ross for review. According to the lawsuit, Putnam commented on the edit, no executive raised an objection to the scene and Callaway formally approved the final draft.The lawsuit adds that the final video was “embraced by Good Good’s own performers and owners and approved in writing by Callaway.”After the ad aired, Good Good’s commercial partnerships with Callaway, the PGA Tour and Golf Channel were either terminated or mutually ended. Retail giants including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy and PGA Tour Superstore pulled Good Good merchandise from stores. A source told Front Office Sports that while product sales account for roughly 70 percent of company revenue, most purchases take place online.According to the filing, Callaway’s former content director approved the final edit in writing prior to publication, replying to the video thread with ‘Good to go on our end’ (Getty)Good Good terminated Lefkovits on August 26. When informed of the decision, Lefkovits “directly asked whether his termination was a publicity move and to make someone publicly take the fall for the ad,” according to the suit. “Kendrick promised Lefkovits that the termination would not be made public.”Upegui was also reportedly let go from Callaway around the same time. Two days after the firing, Kendrick told Front Office Sports that although he had not viewed the commercial prior to its August 20 release, Good Good’s marketing team had reviewed it, and the company had “removed people responsible for the ad.”Lefkovits argues these statements created a misleading narrative. In an August 24 internal email cited in the filing, Kendrick wrote to staff: “As CEO, the responsibility ultimately sits with me.”The lawsuit alleges Kendrick “publicly shifted responsibility to the marketing team led by Lefkovits without actually investigating how the video was created and approved.”The fallout eventually led to leadership shifts at Good Good Golf, with Kendrick and former president Joe Flannery resigning September 2. Putnam, Ross and director of partnerships Anna Dietrichson remain with the company.The lawsuit states that the public association with the commercial “has tarnished his professional reputation” and left Lefkovits “unable to secure new employment.”“We’re not commenting on any legal matters,” a spokesperson for Good Good told Front Office Sports. “Our focus remains on creating a positive environment for our players, partners, and fans, and the future of Good Good Golf.”The Independent has contacted Good Good for comment.