Don't bet on Mickelson coming back to Detroit
Phil Mickelson said Thursday he probably won't return to a PGA Tour event being held in Detroit because of a local newspaper article this week that linked him to a bookie reputed to have ties to the mafia.
“I don't see me coming back,” Mickelson told reporters before his opening round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “Not that I don't love the people here and they haven't been great, but not with that type of thing happening.”
According to a report by the Detroit News, Mickelson's name emerged recently in a transcript related to the 2007 trial of Jack Giacalone, who was alleged to be an organized crime leader in Detroit. In an exchange with a witness for the prosecution, former Las Vegas casino host and bookie (Dandy) Don Deseranno, an attorney for Giacalone got Deseranno to admit he failed to pay Mickelson US$500,000 in winnings several years earlier, after the golfer had placed a bet with him.
Mickelson, 51, said Thursday the author of the story “made an article this week that was very opportunistic and selfish, and irresponsible.”
Asked if he would return to the tournament, Mickelson replied, “It was so much effort for me to be here, and to have that type of unnecessary attack — not like I care, I mean it happened 20-something years ago — but just the lack of appreciation, yeah, I don't see that happening.”
As a relatively new tournament, the Rocket Mortgage Classic did not attract a particularly star-studded field outside of Bryson Dechambeau, Patrick Reed and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama. Mickelson is easily the top draw.
In a statement released on Wednesday, a representative for Mickelson acknowledged that there was nothing in the Detroit News story “that wasn't true,” but he questioned the newspaper's judgment in running it.
“Why are you going to embarrass Phil Mickelson, when he's there to support your tournament and the charities it supports and the (PGA) Tour?” Mickelson's attorney, Glenn Cohen, said in the statement. “Rocket Mortgage is a Detroit-based company. Phil has never played there before.
“I'm disappointed they would curiously pick this week to write an article about a bet that was made over 20 years ago and a jury trial that took place in 2007, where the guy who was convicted is dead and where the only purpose for this article is to embarrass Phil Mickelson.”
The publisher of the Detroit News said Thursday in his newspaper: “It would be disappointing if Phil Mickelson chose to snub Detroit because of a clearly newsworthy story about his past associations. Neither he nor his associates have challenged the veracity of the reporting, which came into focus following a court action last month and was confirmed by his representative just this week.”
Mickelson, who has won six major titles and 45 tournaments overall on the PGA Tour, is one of the most popular players in golf history. Over the years, his revenue from endorsements has reportedly dwarfed his career earnings of more than US$94 million.
In the Giacalone trial, defence attorney Neil Fink was attempting to call into question Deseranno's credibility by asking if the latter tried to “cheat (Mickelson) out of $500,000.”
“I wouldn't say I cheated him,” Deseranno responded, according to the transcript.
“What would you call it?” Fink said. “What did you do?”
“I couldn't pay him,” Deseranno said.
Cohen told the Detroit News that Mickelson was not aware of Deseranno's alleged mob connections when he placed the wager.