Manny Pacquiao In Hot Water For Not Disclosing Shoulder Injury + Fans Suing For $5 Million

Nevada Athletic Commission Chairman Francisco Aguilar said yesterday that the state AG will look at why Pacquiao checked “no” a day before the fight on a questionnaire asking if he had a shoulder injury. Pacquiao could face a fine or suspension for not answering the question accurately. “It was not an anti-doping issue,” says Travis Tygart, who heads the US Anti-Doping Agency, which was a third party to the fight. “The real question is why his camp checked ‘no’ on the disclosure. Either they made a terrible mistake to not follow the rules or they were trying not to give information to the other side.”

Two hours before the fight, Pacquiao’s corner asked Nevada regulators if he could be given a shot of Toradol, an anti-inflammatory. Aguilar denied it, saying the commission had no previous indication there was an injury and could not allow a shot in fairness to the Mayweather camp. NAC Executive Director Bob Bennett said Pacquiao filled out the form himself and understood the questions. “They didn’t tell us a month ago,” Bennett said. “They’re not obligated to, but two hours before the fight they wanted a painkiller. That put us in a very precarious position.” Pacquiao’s camp said he decided to proceed even without the shot: “He makes no excuses. Manny gave it his best.” Meanwhile, an orthopedic surgeon confirms Pacquiao will undergo surgery this week to repair a “significant tear” in his rotator cuff.

Oh, but it gets worse. On Tuesday, fans filed a $5million class-action suit against Pacquiao because they feel they got cheated out of their money. 

Via TIME

The lawsuit, filed by Stephane Vanel and Kami Rahbaran, “on behalf of all persons who purchased tickets; purchased the pay per view event or who wagered money on the event,” claims damages for those who “were victimized by [the] Defendants’ failure to disclose and to cover up the injuries of Defendant Pacquiao.”

Filed in a Las Vegas U.S. District Court, the suit names Pacquiao, his promotion company Top Rank Inc. and president Todd DuBoef, adviser Michael Koncz and promoter Bob Arum as defendants.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of a Monday report by the Associated Press that said Francisco Aguilar, chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, was investigating why Pacquiao checked “no” when asked to disclose if he was injured. Koncz later shouldered the blame saying, “I checked it. It was just an inadvertent mistake.”

Pacquiao is scheduled to undergo surgery that will take him out of commission for about a year.