I Don't Think Just An Apology Is Enough
Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has apologized after saying during Friday's telecast of the PGA Tour's opening event that today's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."
A spokesman for the network said Tilghman apologized on Sunday's telecast and has reached out to Woods' representatives to express her regrets for the comments, according to New York Newsday.
Tilghman, who played college golf at Duke, works as the main play-by-play announcer during The Golf Channel's PGA Tour telecasts.
I don't usually get involved in these kinds of issues or discussions, and totally left what happened to Imus to others, but this just seems on its face to be horrendous. I didn't see or hear the comments, but obviously they must have been inflammatory enough to issue the apology and to make everyone try and reach out to Tiger Woods.
I have a real problem if Tilghman is allowed to keep her job. It is not professional and is not the kind of person who should be doing a national broadcast. What opponents might say is that she was talking and and that it just came out, and that she didn't mean it. I call BS. If you are even thinking about someone being black and also thinking of lynching at the same time, you have a real problem with race. She would never have said the same thing about a white golfer.
I have no doubts that Tilghman is sorry, but is she sorry because she hurt people or is she sorry because she knows she will probably never get to work as an announcer again.
48 comments:
Being an announcer must be hard...thinking of things to say on the fly and make them sound interesting. But if that was the best thing she could think of there must be something buried in her subconscious.
She definitley needs to be fired. After Imus's ordeal, she must also be subjected to the same standards. She's a broadcaster on TV and has a responsibility that goes with her job to be unbiased and unracist. Fire her ass!!
here, here ent!
Fire her ass!
Really? I would give her the benifit of the doubt and say she wasn't thinking. I really doubt she meant it as a slur. It's like the football announcer back in the day. "Look at that little monkey run". I call my nieces and nephews monkeys all the time.
Wrong for sure, but I would say a serious faux pas, not a racial attack.
Anyone remember Howard Cosell?
How about Jimmy "the Greek" ?
Both of those men were unceremoniously (and quickly) dumped after making "off the cuff" racial comments on the air - however nothing near this level.
I think (hell, I expect) she's just written her own career obituary.
Kevin, people are getting canned all over for misspeaking. Anchor people, journalists, reporters, talk show hosts, etc., should know better than any of us that they need to carefully choose their words.
She blew it BIG TIME and should have known better.
kevin...have to disagree with you. Was Imus given the benefit of the doubt? It's only a matter of time until Rev. Al gets a hold of this and then there will be no benefit. She said the words, she needs to take the responsibility.
FIRED!!! no if's or and's abt it... in the spirit of the aftermath of imus i cant see how the gold channel has any other choice! ESP in light of the fact that she dissed tiger woods... one of the greatest athletes of our time... not saying that this makes it worse just saying that since he was playing in this tourney, you know there were TONS of people watching that heard her comment.
i say DUNZO to tilghman! BUH-BYE!
I'm trying to think of the last time I heard someone use the racially-charged word 'lynch' and can't come up with anything...and I live in Dixie! Something ugly lives in her subconcious. Next!
Completely unacceptable.
Wait...do you hear that? I think it's Jesse Jackson coming out of hiding for this one.
Oh, the human race; racist, sexist, homophobic...is there no end to the stupidity...?
It's ok...she'll probably end up selling her side of the story (and her va-jay-jay) to playboy...
I agree...if Cosell, The Greek, and Imus had to go..so must she.
i don't think she needs to hide though - she's a dumb ass, but if she plays this right she could get by.
I'm with Ent. It was the association of Tiger with lynching that is the issue. A) what would Tiger have done to deserve a lynching? B) Lynching in a back alley is even worse.
and WHY did she say this??
what the hell was the context?
Just to clarify....I no way do I think the comment is right. And she certainly has some 'splaining to do. My 2 cents were just that I don't think she meant it as a racist attack. It's not like she said, "lynch the nappy headed pimp" or something. But, there would be a better word to use, fo sho.
Speaking of Tiger, were people guessing it was him in a blind recently...
Oh, and I think she meant it like, Tiger is so good, no one can beat him, so he needs to be "taken out".
Like Wayne Gretzky is so good at hockey, they young players should break his skates.
Not to kill Tiger, but to remove him from the game because he is unbeatable. Or something.
Mmmmm, my foot tastes pretty good.
When your job description is, basically, speaking on air and delivering thoughtful, insightful comments on the topic at hand, then there is NO EXCUSE for the comment that she made.
No excuse.
Fire Her Ass!
Given the history of the word, I can't imagine even using it in any way, shape, or form.
I remember Lisa Marie Presley being interviewed about her former marriage to Michael Jackson and whether she ever worried about him doing something to her kids. She said if he had ever touched her kids inappropriately "he'd be hanging from a tree." That really bugged me, but at that time I don't remember anybody speaking up for MJ or against LMP. She could have said "I'd kick his ass", but why the tree hanging thing?
You can't hide what's in your heart I guess.
I live in Canada and no player, commentator or Maple Leaf fan for that matter, has ever suggested that we should lynch Gretzky for being so good. Or break his ankles. Nothing but respect. How odd?
To be honest, when I hear the word "lynch" I don't automatically think of something racially charged. I think "get him" or "attack him".
I have to agree with Kevin here, she may not have thought of it as a racially charged word. But if she did, then there is NO excuse for it.
Good point Nicola! Why even say Tiger needs to be offed? He's a great athlete like some many others that have come before him. A sports announcer declaring someone be offed because their good sounds fishy.
Oh well. Somebody's thanking their lucky stars that this hooch messed. Good job for the next girl.
Hey Nicola,
I live in Canada too. I was just using Gretzky as an example. I know. Much respect for him. But come on, hockey players can say some dumb things. And, they don't have to talk about breating someone up, they just go and DO IT on the ice.
Many Pro Golfers want Steroid testing now cuz they suspect some of the guys , including Tiger, are using.
Tiger's looking buff lately. I think it's discipline though, not steroids. I saw him in person this Summer at the US Open. His physique is stunning.
Kim, who says that though? Who says "I'm gonna lynch that muthafucker if he don't get my money?" or "Bitch I'm lynch your ass for sleeping with my man!"
No one! I disagree with you, when I hear lynch I tie it to America's troublesome time. And for Imus comments...white people don't refer to each other as nappy...but I getting off the point. Crawling back under the bridge.
I also want to add, that her comment even without the racial issue is wrong. To say that a player needs to be taken out (or whatever she was referring to) is just plain weird and out of line.
Tracee, I am just saying that when I first read the word in the story I didn't automatically link it to the horrendous things done to African Americans. But once I started reading the comments, I was able to tie the word to that time. I am just saying that perhaps she didn't realize it until it was too late. Not sticking up for her, just saying that not everyone automatically ties that word to its true meaning.
UG! I've lived in the South my whole life and I will NEVER get used to WHITE people making bad racially charged jokes.
I just don't tolerate it. Jokes like this one happen way more often than I'd like to admit(sometimes on the radio).
@tracee: I know. Did she forget she was announcing a GOLF tournament?
hmm tough call.
i dont think making a remark about taking anyone out is a good idea..but do we know if it was racially motivated? i use the term lynch all the time. not around black people but thats cuz there are barely any here. not everything is racially motivated. This women coudl have really just had a poor choice of vocab on the fly and now she'd gonna be crucified for it.
heaven forbid anyone makes a mistake out there.
Kinda ironic considering the lynch mob that's out for her now.
dangit, my carefully forumulated comment got eaten by blogger.
Anyway, was I basically said was, if she had said "the young players should pull a Tonya Harding" everyone would probably have laughed.
Whether she is racist or not, her word choice was stunningly poor and professional broadcasters get paid for public speaking. She should at the least get demoted to some local market until she gets more practice.
Where is Reverend Al on this? Or because it's a woman we'll let it go?
She needs to be fired by tomorrow afternoon.
She shoulda said something about tampering with his balls instead...now THAT's funny.
Okay, I admit double standard here. While I may hate the L word, I laughed at the Tonia Harding comment. My apologies to the trailer park crowd.
As I said before, Rev. Al will be on the scene with this one. It was totally inappropriate to say what she did and she should suffer the consequences. Again...
Fire her Ass!!
I agree with Kim. When I first read it, I thought Ent was going to give the context of why she said it because the world didn't automatically register as racially charged. I don't really think she meant it that way.
I agree with Ent.
You can't joke about lynching. I'm sure she is sorry, but she should be. It is completely offensive. After Jena 6 no one can pretend that we have left that awful part of our history behind. It was a racial slur, and anyone with any job should expect to be fired for it. Someone in the media even more so. They are representatives of the program and the network.
There's no excuse for this. I don't care why, how, what, where, when. I just sent an email to Golf Channel asking that they get rid of her. WTF century is this woman living in? So offensive.
Rev. Al isn't the only person that should jump on this! ALL people should speak out against this racist remark! Just because YOU say a word and don't "believe" it to be racist doesn't mean it isn't racist to an African American etc. And please, hockey is a contact sport.
The word "lynch = racism
The only association in current history is the lynching that went on in the south and some areas in the north by Klu Klux Klan members and racists.
If you defend her racism and in any way rationalize her "lynch" commentary you have serious race issues yourself. Yes, you.
Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are the biggest shit-stirring hypocrites of our century. They've both used racial terms and have made racially charged statements. Al has made some that have led to the death of a person. I hope he gets tossed in jail for tax evasion and becomes some big thugs bitch.
Is this the most racist country in the world or what! Where is the love??????????????
Actually Steph, yes, you, since I didn't automatically think a racist thought when I heard that word means I don't have a racist thought in my head. Therefore I do not have serious race issues myself.
thanks very much
I see what ur saying Kim. Some words just have a strong effect. I don't think you're racist for thinking that way, I believe that when someone is in the public eye, representing a few demographics, its important to choose your words carefully. "Lynch" isn't the most common word you hear these days.
"My apologies to the trailer park crowd." Califblondy, you funny gurl!
Being as my last name is Lynch, I thought I'd give you some true meaning as where the word came from. Way, way, back in teh 1600's or so, there was a WHITE judge who's son was to stand trial for raping a woman. No one wanted to be the judge on this trial, becuase the accused was the other prominent judge's son. The judge who's son stood accused decided to be the judge on this trial because no one else would. At the end of this trial, he found his own son guilty of rape and hung him. 'Lynched him' as it was called after that, and he became Judge Lynch and that's where my ancestors came from. I am a white woman and do not ever think of what happened to the African Americans many years ago when I hear the word lynch. You guys are being way harsh, and way too judgemental.
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