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PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan didn’t help his case on Wednesday during a segment with Golf Channel as he addressed 9/11 families.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan joined Golf Channel on Wednesday to discuss the massive deal that has taken over the entire sport of golf. Tuesday, it was announced that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund were merging.
After the news broke Tuesday, the 9/11 Families United tore into Monahan for his perceived hypocrisy. Last year, he referenced families close to him that lost loved ones on 9/11 and made it clear that stink will be worn by players leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.
Wednesday, Monahan addressed the situation but looked really bad doing so. He stammered through it, barely even remaining audible.
“Well, I, ummm… I read Terry’s (Strada) comments. Ahhh, I, uh, I, you know, obviously I acknowledge her loss and completely understand her position,” Monahan said.
His responses were less than acceptable to most people. No one appreciated what Monahan had to say on Golf Channel because it made him look like an even bigger hypocrite.
After that brief acknowledgement, he then turned a corner to remind everyone how he believes this is a great deal for the sport of golf.
In an interview on Golf Channel, Jay Monahan stumbles though an attempt to defend his hypocrisy regarding the use of 9/11 families as a talking point against LIV Golf. pic.twitter.com/6blmZd8kDg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 7, 2023
Monahan basically said his only fault was not informing people earlier in the process. People like the 9/11 Families United or the PGA Tour players. Most of these people didn’t find out until the deal was announced.
Last year when he backed the 9/11 Families United and pushed that narrative, it was a big deal. Now, it’s for the benefit of the game. He sold out, and these comments show he doesn’t know how to handle this scrutiny for going back on his actions.
“I think about the fact that I allowed confidentiality to prevail here, and in allowing confidentiality to prevail, I did not communicate to very important constituents, including the families of 9/11, and I regret that — I really do. But as we sit here today, I think it’s important to reiterate that I feel like the move that we’ve made and how we move forward is in the best interest of our sport. We’ve eliminated those fractures, but for any difficulties I’ve caused in that front, again, I have to own that as well, and that comes back to communication.”
Does he regret it? The way he avoided saying I’m sorry for changing my mind or even doing more than acknowledging his hypocrisy should be noted.
While Monahan says he owns “any difficulties I’ve caused in that front,” there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding this deal, and all he can say is it comes back to communication. Monahan continues to tip-toe around these questions, which only makes his image crack harder.
