The standard for winning a defamation suit is very high if the person being defamed is a public figure. Most pro bodybuilders would be considered public figures. First amendment rights trump defamation protections, so opinion is protected. Also, the victim must be able to prove actual damages, which is more than just hurt feelings. The defamatory statement must be one that would cause a reasonable person to believe it. dFinally, truth is an absolute defense to defamation.
Most importantly, because defamation and damages are so tough to prove and costly to litigate, most real lawyers will only undertake such a case: a) on a contingency basis if the defendant is a millionaire or a company with tangible assets; or (b) on an hourly basis if the plaintiff provides a hefty retainer ($7500 +).
A lawyer-pal of a pro bodybuilder would be treading on dangerous ground if they filed suit against someone for the sole purpose of intimidation. For one, the defendant could find grounds for a countersuit, thus doubling the work for the lawyer/pal ($$) AND now requiring the plaintiff to continue the case even if he was only trying to scare someone. Only a newbie inexperienced foolish lawyer would take such a case.
The animated GIFs I saw were satire which is protected under People v. Flynt (Hustler Mag). In a parody-image of a magazine advertisement for a popular alcoholic drink, Hustler described a drunk Falwell having an incestuous encounter with his mother in an outhouse. Flynt won the case at the US Supreme Court level.
That said, here's what you can say:
"Ronnie Coleman is pregnant with twins"
"Kamali has no arms"
"Rhino sucks"
"Lee is an alien from planet Krypton"
"Elmo just got his PDI pro card"
"All fitness girls are sluts"
"The Olympia is fixed"
"Victor is a convict"
"Ruhl's girl looks like a man"
"Shawn's ex-girlfriend is a man"
"Supplements are a scam"
"VPX stands for Venereal Pubic Xchange"
"Chick wears wife-beaters"
"All Pros are drug dealers"
"Titus killed Kelly's career"
"Titus killed Melissa"
"OJ killed Nicole"
"Patsy killed JonBenet"
"Bertil killed her"
"Sally killed Ray"
"Youngblood killed himself"
"Branch needs a hair transplant"
"Flex needs a kidney transplant"
"Don Long needs a brain transplant"
"Sgt. D needs an eyeliner transplant"
....I could go on but I think you all get the point. So, AT EASE creative soldiers...and get back to having fun and making us laugh.
Special "Grubman" Ed
I am