NFL
By: Greg Rector
PGA players aren’t sure what happened to them today as the PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan explained to those playing at the Canadian Open why the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund the DP World Tour (European Tour) and the PGA are now business partners. A merger was announced earlier on Twitter of all places.
PGA
The PGA tour and the DP World Tour won all the court cases against LIV Golf yet they decided to make this deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund. They had the funds to outlast the PGA tour in cases from now on. The most disturbing thing for me is that money outweighs morality. Apparently, this decision comes down to the fact that the Saudi money meant more than morality, especially for the families of the victims of the 9/11 massacre. Monahan’s statement that today said “The game of golf is better for what we’ve done today,” I’m not so certain of that. My issue with this is the “sports washing” of what the Saudi government has done to attempt to wash away things like the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a multitude of other well-known human rights violations.
The 9/11 Families United
The group’s chair Terry Strada who lost her husband Tom in the North Tower on 9/11 was shocked and deeply offended by the announcement made this morning.
“Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour. They do now – as does he.” Strada went further and also said “PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed. Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing I their quest for money it was never to honor the great game of golf.”
Further that the fact that the former President of the United States has hosted LIV golf tour events on his courses. That same man spoke of “helping” out after the 9/11 attacks which never happened and as we also know he also disappointed many when he made his first official visit to Saudi Arabia after taking office.
The Big Guns
The Royal and Ancient Golf Association and Augusta National have both joined in saying they also agree the decision will grow the game of golf. So when all is said and done this result means that money outweighs morality once again. The Saudi-owned PIF is now going to be “sports washing” its way to the top sports organizations in professional golf.
The details are not very clear as of now. I watched the Canadian Open today and the players are in shock and have no idea how this is going to affect them going forward. One player asked afterward who spoke on anonymity said ‘This makes me feel slimy” because the PGA Tour players weren’t told any of the negotiations that happened.
Canadian player Adam Hadwin said this morning after hearing the news.
“I think one of the big things will be moving forward is how are players re-integrated back into the system,” said Canada’s Adam Hadwin. “If they are. We don’t even know if they will be.”
“I mean, so that being one of the big talking points throughout this year and a half from the commissioner about how these guys will never play on the PGA Tour again, it will be interesting.”
For me, this simply reeks of an attempt to avoid further litigation and the costs of continuing to go on with cases in courts.
