Should Kelly Tilghman be fired for "lynch" Tiger remark?
The Golf Channel’s main anchor Kelly Tilghman made a flip remark during Friday’s Mercedes broadcast that today’s young players should “lynch him [Tiger Woods] in a back alley.” Tilghman has since apologized. (More)
UPDATE: We found a copy of the video. We believe it’s important for you to be the judge of the entire context. Unfortunately, someone has played around with the ending, but this is the only footage we found so far.
I didn’t hear the remark, but on paper it sounds bad. Is it worse than Fuzzy Zoeller’s comments after Tiger won the 1997 Masters?
UPDATE: Kelly Tilghman has issued this “apology”: “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.”
The Golf Channel issued this statement: “We regret the unfortunate choice of words that 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.”
However, Tiger Woods has not issued any statement about whether the apology is sufficient or whether he was hurt or offended by Tilghman’s “lynch Tiger” remark. As of yet, I cannot find any reporting of this news on The Golf Channel’s own website either. I don’t know what to make of Tilghman’s “lynch Tiger” remark. It seems so inappropriate and racially insensitive for The Golf Channel’s No.1 anchor to say. Even putting aside the racially charged connotations to lynching in this country, the comment seems ridiculous for a golf analyst on TV to say.
Maybe I am missing the context in which it was said. Maybe someone has a better explanation for Tilghman’s remark. I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt. She probably won’t ever again get an exclusive interview with Tiger, that’s my guess. If you have videotape of the comment, please email us the link.
UPDATE: Nick Faldo seemed to condone/affirm Kelly Tilghman’s comment. Does he bear any responsibility, too?
UPDATE: Tiger Woods’s agent Mark Steinberg issued this statement on behalf of Tiger:
“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. Case closed.”
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