The sports world was abruptly shaken on Tuesday as news emerged that LIV Golf and the PGA Tour agreed to a partnership, and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has taken a lot of heat.
Unsurprisingly, that news was met with a lot of fervor and opposition. Noted golf analyst Brandel Chamblee considered it one of the saddest days in golf history. Several PGA Tour players expressed their frustrations with what happened, and the families of 9/11 victims have also signaled and elicited their outrage.
A lot of the criticism has centered around Jay Monahan. The PGA Tour Commissioner initially had no issue in railing against LIV Golf. He no doubt provided a significant switch-up with this partnership. That’s left many to skewer the commissioner, but Monahan spoke up on Tuesday evening long after the dust settled. The 9/11 families expressed the fact that they felt dismissed, for instance
“I recognize everything I’ve said in the past in my past positions,” Monahan said via Sean Zak on Twitter. “I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite. Anytime I said anything, I said it with the information I had in the moment.”
“I recognize everything I’ve said in the past in my past positions. I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite. Anytime I said anything I said it with the information I had in the moment.” — Jay Monahan about changing his position about Saudi money in recent weeks.
— Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) June 6, 2023
As you might imagine, that quote was met with some serious brushback. The sports world was angry and livid with what Jay Monahan had to say about the LIV Golf-PGA Tour partnership. They expressed that online in a variety of ways. None of which were very kind to him.
Nothing better than a 'I was for it before I was against it' defense
— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) June 6, 2023
— Steve Roeland (@sroeland) June 6, 2023
What new information could he possibly get?? https://t.co/pNNcFqA7WB
— Josey 🚀 (@josey_orr) June 6, 2023
Jay has solved human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia it seems. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ https://t.co/AUTgd880iC
— David (@DavidBastin12) June 6, 2023
"To be fair, when I said those things I didn't have a giant check in front of me. Things are different now. Because of that giant check." https://t.co/nwR7cHQeOE
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) June 6, 2023
[Sean Zak]