On Friday, the New Orleans Advocate reported that Darren Sharper’s codefendant implicated Lions running back Reggie Bush in the spiking of drinks with ecstasy. Bush’s lawyer has since strongly disputed the allegations on the player’s behalf, indicating that Bush is contemplating legal action.
Bush personally has addressed the situation on Twitter, taking an aggressive stand against the report.
“Shame on John Simerman & Ramon Vargas of The Advocate Newspaper 4 writing this false story!” Bush said. “They should be fired for their irresponsibility!”
Bush wants more than the termination of the employment of the reporters. He wants a retraction of the story -- and he’s no longer considering the possibility of litigation.
“I 100 percent intend to take legal action against The Advocate if they do not retract their LIE-FILLED article,” Bush said. “Shame on you!”
While Bush understandably is upset about the report, the Advocate isn’t making any accusations. Instead, the Advocate has repeated information that Brandon Licciardi provided to investigators. While we’re not familiar with the nuances of Louisiana law on these issues, it seems that liability would attach not to the Advocate for reporting on the statements made by Licciardi, but to Licciardi for making them.
It’s also not clear how the Advocate obtained information about Licciardi’s statement; it’s possible that the dissemination of the remarks amounts to a breach of a court order or a violation of privacy.