Ponte Vedre, FL …
It’s rare to see the head of any major sporting organisation sound really annoyed but that was the scenario when PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan was asked his reaction to a social media post four-time Tour winner Scott Piercy directed at former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
In the post, the 41-year old Nevada-based golfer made reference to QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory, and according to Wikipedia, detailing a supposed secret plot by an alleged “deep state” against U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters.a far-right conspiracy theory.
Piercy apologized for the shared Instagram post following criticism though it did not stop Titleist as well as Footjoy and apparel company J. Lindeberg severing sponsorship tied.
American Scott Piercy leaves PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan ‘significantly disappointed’ over vile social post
The golfer shared a homophobic meme referencing the withdrawal of Buttigieg, who is openly gay, from the Democratic presidential race. Piercy’s post also referenced QAnon, whose supporters have been condemned by the FBI.
Monahan reaction was one of ‘significant disappointment.
“My reaction was one of significant disappointment. You know, that post does not convey the values that we have as a Tour, and certainly doesn’t convey our interest in making certain that golf is inclusive for all, an inclusive sport for all, and the fact of the matter is that what — that post itself is a violation of our policy,” he said.
“I’m not going to speak to the disciplinary action or the disciplinary side of this, but it’s something that we take very seriously. He knows that. I think he at some point in time will address that, and the fact of the matter is that, again, it doesn’t reflect who we are as an organization.
“But when something like that happens, you need to use that as a teaching moment, and people need to get better and people need to understand the full consequence of something like that, and that’s where our focus is on right now.”
In a statement earlier this week, Piercy said: “Whenever I post my intent is NEVER to offend. I want to apologize if any of my recent story posts have been offensive. I will do better!”
