In Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts, Associated Press v. Walker, 388 U.S. 130 (1967), Wallace Butts sued Curtis Publishing Company for defamation of character over an article printed in the Saturday Evening Post, a publication owned by Curtis. At the time the article was written, Butts was the athletic director of the University of Georgia and had overall responsibility for the administration of its athletic program. Curtis Publ'g Co. v. Butts, Associated Press v. Walker, 388 U.S. at 135. However, he was employed by the Georgia Athletic Association, a private corporation, rather than by the State of Georgia. Id. The article accused Butts of providing the University of Alabama's coach with the offensive plays and defensive strategy that Georgia would employ in a game played between the two teams in 1962. Id. "Butts had previously served as head football coach of [Georgia] and was a well known and respected figure in coaching ranks." Id. at 135-36.