Kelly Tilghman Suspended for Two Weeks After Lynching Comments
Atlanta, GA 1/10/2008 06:15 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has been suspended for two weeks due to her controversial comments aimed at Tiger Woods last week.
Tilghman made the comment that any golfer trying to test him might have to "lynch him in a back alley" during coverage of the US PGA Tour season-opening event in Hawaii on Friday.
Tilghman said the comment while joking with English analyst Nick Faldo about Woods, who was not playing at the tournament.
Woods said that the statement was not a concern.
Woods' agent, Mark Sternberg, made a public statement about the ordeal. "Tiger and Kelly are friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly," Steinberg said. "Regardless of the choice of words used we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments.
Tilghman said Tuesday in a statement that she meant no insult to Woods or offense to viewers. However, on Wednesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton joined the fray by demanding she be fired immediately.
Golf Channel didn’t know who would replace Tilghman in the booth this week at the Sony Open or next week at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Tilghman became golf’s first female anchor last year when the PGA Tour signed a 15-year deal in which Golf Channel broadcasts the first three events of the year, weekday coverage of all tour events, and full coverage of the Fall Series and opposite-field events.
The suspension ends in time for the Buick Invitational on Jan. 24, when Woods will make his 2008 debut.
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befound@finditt.com
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