Golf Suspends Tilghman for ‘Lynch’ Comment
Commentator Gets Two-Week Suspension for Comment About Tiger Woods
By Steve Donohue -- Multichannel News, 1/9/2008 5:15:00 PM
The Golf Channel is suspending commentator Kelly Tilghman for two weeks after she said during a Jan. 4 telecast that young players on the PGA tour should “lynch tiger Woods in a back alley.”
“The Golf Channel regrets the poorly chosen remarks made by Kelly Tilghman on a recent broadcast and, again, extends our apologies to anyone who was offended. There is simply no place on our network for offensive language like this,” TGC said in a prepared statement late Wednesday. “While we believe that Kelly’s choice of words was inadvertent and that she did not intend them in an offensive manner, the words were hurtful and grossly inappropriate.”
The suspension is effective immediately, the network said.
Tilghman made the comment while talking about what young PGA tour players need to do in order to bridge the gap with Woods, the world's top golfer, with fellow commentator Nick Faldo. She issued an on-air apology on Sunday, but the story gained steam this week, with several national news outlets reporting it, including Fox News Channel, USA Today and ABC News.
A clip showing Tilghman making the comment is also available on YouTube and other Web sites.
Woods wasn’t bothered by Tilghman’s comment, according to a statement from his agent, Mark Steinberg. “This story is a non-issue. 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.”
Tilghman said in her own statement that she has apologized to Woods directly. “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.”
