Tiger's cool with lynching
A mangled comment by the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman about how young golfers trying to compete with Tiger Woods should try to "lynch him a back alley" was basically dismissed by Woods' people today.
"This story is a non-issue," said Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg. "Tiger and Kelly are friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly. Regardless of the choice of words used we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."
Tilghman committed the boner during the Golf Channel's coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii last Friday. She got around to apologing on the air about Sunday, and then on Tuesday, offered a statement: "On Friday during our golf broadcast, Nick Faldo and I were discussing Tiger's dominance in the golf world and I used some poorly chosen words. I have known Tiger for 12 years and I have apologized directly to him. I also apologize to our viewers who may have been offended by my comments."
Case closed? Not on sports-talk shows, who are brethlessly comparing this to what Don Imus said about the Rutgers women's basketball team a year ago, leading to him losing his job.
As of today, Tilghman's job is safe, as she's doing the Sony Open from Maui this weekend, leading into the five-day Bob Hope Chrysler Classic from Palm Springs next week.
The Golf Channel also responded to the story, first reported in New York Newsday: "We regret the unfortunate choice of words Kelly used during the broadcast and apologize to anyone who was offended by her remarks. We take this matter very seriously. She has apologized privately to Tiger and publicly on the air."
Woods wasn't playing in that PGA Tour opening event that Tilghman made the comment, nor is he competing this week in Maui or next week in Palm Springs.
In this era of gotcha-journalism, Tilghman has been gotten. She's not a racist. She's not deserving of being fired. She's making history, actually, in becoming the first female to do play-by-play on a major sporting event regular live series. Anything beyond that is a complete and utter waste of political correctness policing.
UPDATE:
Golf Channel announces Tilghman suspended
Comments
first off , lynching people was common to all colors..especially horse thieves. second tiger woods is asian also, not just black...why only black matters i have no clue. third, im tired of media assuming blacks or any color is upset about anything being said. tigers woods is the first asian great golfer
Posted by: mark | January 9, 2008 1:23 PM