John Daly was suspended from the Tour for “conduct unbecoming a professional” for making a complete mess of his life. What are the chances that the Tour hands out a similar punishment to Tiger?
Slim and None.
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I was just reading a blog on Golf Digest about their cover article (which might have even got Obama in trouble wish Michelle!
). One of the letter writers asks why do some get suspended and some don’t?
Here is the question that the Tour needs to be asked and be asking themselves: Golf, above other sports, prides itself on the honesty and integrity of the players. The Tour and the First Tee talk about learning to incorporate lessons from golf in making yourself a good and honest person.
If the Tour embraces Tiger very soon at all, doesn’t that just go to show that golf isn’t about all that stuff and what it really just is, is just a business and entertainment like other sports? As abhorrant as it is for many, perhaps the Tour needs to cast off Tiger as baseball did to Pete Rose. If it doesn’t, it will be no better than the NFL or NBA. Golf cannot afford to lose its integrity in the same way Baseball has in recent years. It survived and thrived after Rose, but more recent scandals have really damaged baseball because they have not held themselves to that same standard of 25 years ago.
Tiger’s alleged actions are viewed by many as reprehensible. If everything being said is true, I agree. However, his conduct remains in the realm of what should be considered his private life. Legal authorities have made no move to charge anyone with anything more than a traffic violation.
If Tiger’s public actions bring disrespect to the game of golf, the Tour would be justified in issuing a reprimand, placing him on probation or giving him an outright suspension. It would all depend on the situation.
Comparing Tiger to Pete Rose is a stretch. Rose illegally placed bets, bet on baseball, evaded taxes, and ultimately spent time in jail.
So your contention is that Tiger may be a liar and without integrity in his private life, but it is possible that he has integrity and is trustworthy in his professional life?
Sorry, but if the tour embraces Tiger again, then the tour should distance itself from the First Tee. Of the 9 core values of the First Tee, Tiger embraces only #3 sportsmanship, and then only if he is playing well. The other 8 are right out. How can the Tour continue to embrace such a program if it embraces a superstar who craps all over the core values which that program and the Tour say are so important?
I am not sure whether allowing Tiger to play on the Tour is “embracing” him. And if the Tour allows Tiger to participate, I do not think that the First Tee should feel obligated to distance itself from the Tour. The First Tee may want to distance itself from Tiger. It appears that in his personal life he may have failed to live up to many of the principles that the organization tries to impart.
Ultimately, Tiger is a professional golfer. He is not a moral or religous leader. He was never elected to represent me. When someone asks me to follow a moral code or wants my vote, I expect their personal conduct to be above reproach. While I would like professional athletes to conduct themselves properly, they never asked me to follow their teachings or vote for them.
Hasn’t Pete Rose suffered enough??? C’mon, pick out some other baseball players who’ve ruined baseball. Like Barry Bonds. Rose may have bet on games, but Bonds ruined some records forever. No one will be able to tell which records are clean and which ones are tainted by steroid use. The * isn’t good enough. How is a clean player supposed to try to set a record in baseball now? Does he aim for a number higher than the steroid user’s? These steroid and drug users have stolen a dream away from every kid who dreams of being a great baseball player because the records set by the cheaters may be too hard for a clean player to break.
And just because I have to – someone before said that Rose committed illegal acts and that comparing Rose to Tiger ‘is a stretch’. If the allegations of Tiger paying for women are true, then couldn’t that possibly be against the law in some states? And of course if you want to get all religious about it, cheating on your wife breaks one of the 10 commandments and I’m sure is a crime in a religious sense. But hey, he didn’t use non-conforming equipment at a tournament so he’s okay on the Tour. Or did he? How do we know what he does on the course? Like Martin said, how can we believe Tiger is trustworthy on the course if he isn’t in his personal life?
One thing about it, he doesn’t have to worry about the groove changes this year since he won’t be playing for a while.
No, they would not suspend him.
But they might advise him to take an indefinite break from golf.
Maybe they just did it.