Manchester United's New Coach Once Sued Wayne Rooney For Libel
Rooney and Moyes have a rocky past, including a libel suit that resulted in an apology from Rooney and a reported £50,000-£150,000 settlement for Moyes.
In his 2006 autobiography "Wayne Rooney: My Story So Far," Rooney accused Moyes of leaking the details of a conversation they had while they were both at Everton in 2004.
Rooney wrote that he told Moyes he wanted out of Everton after tabloids caught him visiting a prostitute. The next day the Liverpool Echo ran a story about the conversation, and Rooney wrote in his book that Moyes was the one who spilled the beans.
After the book came out, Moyes sued Rooney, HarperCollins, and co-author Hunter Davies for libel — saying the accusation that he threw Rooney under the bus was "wholly untrue."
In 2008, the suit was settled before a trial. Rooney "sincerely apologized" and paid damages and legal costs worth £500,000, according to the Guardian, £50,000-£150,000 of that is believed to have gone to Moyes.
The Telegraph says it is the only time an EPL coach has sued a former player for libel.
Rumors of Rooney's departure from United started immediately after he was left out of the starting lineup in the home leg of the Champions League knockout stage match-up against Real Madrid.
While Rooney has found his way back into the team since, and United has gone on to run away with the title, speculation is still rampant.
The team will already have to deal with life without Sir Alex Ferguson next year, and now the team's most popular player could be gone too.