The sister of Georges St-Pierre recently had to take time away from her life to diffuse a "painful" rumor that her father was very ill and on his death bed. On the contrary, he is "doing well" and his health is not the reason her brother -- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion -- decided to take a break from mixed martial arts (MMA) competition.
Shari Spencer, St. Pierre's former manager, attempted to do the same earlier this afternoon on social media when another former "Rush" manager, Stephane Patry, suggested (full details here) that a million-dollar lawsuit she allegedly filed against the French-Canadian could be the part of the reason "Rush" is going "crazy."
Her response:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgesStPierre">@GeorgesStPierre</a> may have 99 problems, but I ain't one <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23learntofactcheck&src=hash">#learntofactcheck</a></p>— Shari Spencer (@ShariSpencer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShariSpencer/statuses/402861030704820224">November 19, 2013</a></blockquote>
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But, according to TMZ -- the same "source" that botched the news about his father, as well as the one that incorrectly claimed St. Pierre was dealing with an unplanned pregnancy -- it is in possession of court documents that prove otherwise.
Tangible proof!
That's its latest claim at least::
Georges St-Pierre cut a $737k check to his former manager -- after the woman sued the UFC champ for screwing her out of her contract ... and according to court docs, she could still be in line for a MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR payday. TMZ Sports has obtained documents filed in Clark County, Nevada, which show GSP was sued by ex-manager Shari Spencer after the two parted ways in 2011.... The court docs show ... the judge agreed with Shari and ordered GSP to cut a check for $737,066.35 -- which the fighter paid back in April. But there's more ... the judge also ordered GSP to pay Shari's management company the following:
-- 20% of future revenue on various UFC Pay-Per-View fights
-- 20% of royalties earned under a 2008 UFC merchandising contract
-- 5% of future revenues from sponsorships she apparently helped him earn (including Affliction and RUSHFit).
Of course, it could mean everything and possibly nothing, because for all we know Spencer could no longer be pursuing the case after the initial ruling. If the report is accurate, St. Pierre already settled the dispute with a hefty payoff. The future royalties / revenues would certainly be cause for distress if still in effect, but for the biggest star in the sport -- one who reportedly hauls in $12 million annually -- it would appear to be a drop in the bucket.
Then again, perhaps St. Pierre is no longer interested in continuing to sacrifice his livelihood (vision loss, memory problems, etc.) and, in the process, making his former manager much richer.
The twisted plot continues to thicken with each passing day. But, if it is indeed a money issue keeping St. Pierre awake at night, it would certainly make White's comments that it "really isn't that bad" appear to make much more sense.
After all, that's a personal issue White and Co. have the means to solve literally overnight.
Keep it tuned to MMAmania.com as more details become available.