From the Associated Press :

John Daly (above, right) sued The Florida Times-Union and its Web site, contending he was defamed by a columnist who called the golfer a thug who allegedly beats women.

Columnist Mike Freeman’s article appeared during The Player’s Championship last spring. It discusses Daly’s past and how fans continue to root for the former British Open and PGA champion who has battled problems with alcohol, weight and his temper.

Daly, 39, of Cordova, Tenn., is suing over statements that he is “accused of smacking women around” and he has “Thug Life qualifications” and “a rap sheet that would make R. Jay Soward look like a Backstreet Boy.” Soward was drafted in 2000 as a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was suspended for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The suit was filed July 26 in Duval County Circuit Court and seeks an unspecified amount in excess of $15,000 — the minimum for filing a circuit court suit — and a jury trial.

The Times-Union said Daly was charged in a domestic disturbance involving his then-wife in 1992, pleaded guilty to harassment and was placed on probation. It also said references to Daly’s substance abuse referred to his alcohol abuse and that a reference to basketball player Shawn Kemp, who has fathered several children out of wedlock, was not meant to suggest Daly’s three children were illegitimate.

Daly’s lawsuit says the note “did not constitute a full and fair correction, apology or retraction.”