Ryan Reynolds Expands Soccer Empire Amid Legal Troubles
Ryan Reynolds is growing his soccer business portfolio. The star of "Deadpool and Wolverine," alongside Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElhenney, will join a group investing in Colombia's top team, Club Deportivo La Equidad Seguros.
Recent reports from Bloomberg and ESPN reveal that this investor group is led by real estate investor Al Tylis and soccer executive Sam Porter. Both Tylis and Porter hold stakes in the Mexican team, Necaxa. Other investors in this initiative feature actress Eva Longoria, supermodel Kate Upton, and Upton’s spouse, MLB pitcher Justin Verlander.
La Equidad expressed excitement over the new investment group via a statement shared on X. "We welcome Al Tylis and Sam Porter, who arrive with a clear, long-term vision to continue strengthening our club. This is the first step towards a future full of opportunities," they stated.
Furthermore, the club emphasized that Tylis and Porter possess extensive expertise in sports and enjoy support from notables, including Reynolds, McElhenney, Longoria, Upton, Verlander, Shawn Marion, and Scott Galloway.
In 2021, Reynolds and McElhenney acquired Wrexham and increased its global visibility through their FX docuseries, "Welcome to Wrexham." Tylis bought a minor stake in Wrexham in April 2024. Reynolds and McElhenney also invested in Necaxa, according to a Bloomberg report.
News of Reynolds' latest soccer investment coincided with his being named a defendant in a $400 million lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, a co-star with Blake Lively in "It Ends With Us."
Baldoni's lawsuit, detailed in documents obtained by Us Weekly, charges Reynolds, Lively, and Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, with civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and additional claims. Baldoni alleges he faced pressure from Reynolds and an unidentified "megacelebrity" friend of Lively to accept script changes for the film.
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, commented to Us about the evidence presented in the case. "This lawsuit is based on substantial evidence showcasing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous effort to harm Justin Baldoni and his companies by releasing edited and unsubstantiated information to the media," he stated.
Freedman also affirmed their readiness to share complete communications, indicating a strong stance in the legal battle. "This is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret," he asserted, suggesting Lively was either misled by her team or intentionally misrepresented the truth.
This lawsuit follows a separate legal action from Lively, filed on December 31, 2024, claiming Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages.
Us reached out to representatives for Lively and Sloane but has yet to receive a response.
Earlier, SSP wrote that David Lynch passed away at the age of 78.