The truth hurts.
It really hurts.
Just ask Phil Mickelson.
One of the most popular and iconic golfers in history is now persona non-grata on the PGA Tour because he had the audacity to tell the truth about the immense human rights issues in Saudi Arabia while acknowledging that, yes, he is still willing to line his pockets with Saudi money.
The only difference between Mickelson’s unholy relationship with Saudi Arabia and the NBA’s unholy alliance with China is that NBA has had its head buried in the Gobi Desert sand for years while accepting billions of dollars in Chinese money.
Now let me ask this question: What’s more acceptable — Phil taking Saudi money while telling the truth about the human rights violations in Saudi Arabia or the NBA taking Chinese money while turning a blind eye to the human rights atrocities in China?
I think now we know the answer to that question.
To paraphrase Colonel Nathan R. Jessup: “We can’t handle the truth.”
The NBA business machine is chugging right along while Mickelson has been exiled from the sport he has done so much to help popularize.
Mickelson, who is the closest thing modern-day golf has to the famously fan-friendly Arnold Palmer, should be playing at Arnie’s tournament this week, but it’s almost as if he’s been banished from the game. And, who knows, maybe he has been.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan declined to comment last week when asked if Mickelson had been suspended or faces punishment, citing the tour’s longstanding policy of not discussing discipline.
Whether he’s been suspended or not is unknown, but there’s no question Mickelson’s been canceled after volatile comments published recently by author Alan Shipnuck, whose book on Mickelson is due out in May. Shipnuck posted a story a couple of weeks ago, revealing some volatile remarks Mickelson made about his collaboration with the proposed new Saudi Golf League.
The new rival league is reportedly trying to lure top players away from the PGA Tour and is funded by the Saudi government’s $500 billion public investment fund. In talking with Shipnuck about dealing with the Saudis, Mickelson spoke bluntly.
“They’re scary [expletive] to get involved with,” Mickelson said. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
Phil claimed his comments to Shipnuck were off the record.
Shipnuck says they were on the record.
It doesn’t really matter. Phil said what he said. And even though everything he said about the Saudis is accepted as fact, the golf world ran away from Phil faster than Usain Bolt winning the gold medal in London. Other PGA Tour players quickly distanced themselves from him and sponsors dropped him.
From a PR standpoint, Mickelson’s comments were undoubtedly disastrous. He burned bridges from both ends, simultaneously angering the PGA Tour and the Saudi government.
However, the hypocrisy here is mind-numbing. Mickelson’s biggest sponsor, KPMG, dumped him presumably because the global financial firm was standing up for human rights in Saudi Arabia. Well, not exactly. One of KPMG’s biggest clients is the Saudi monarchy, and the firm has two corporate offices in Saudi Arabia. It doesn’t seem far-fetched to think KPMG dumped Mickelson not to defend human rights but to appease the Saudi government.
As for the PGA players themselves, there were reportedly many of them who were intrigued and supposedly considering playing in the Saudi Golf League — until Phil acknowledged the human rights transgressions in Saudi Arabia. And, oh by the way, let’s not forget, other big-name PGA Tour golfers such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson skipped the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach tournament in February and instead took the guaranteed appearance fees at the Saudi International.
The fact is, we are all hypocritical when it comes to doing business with countries that continue to violate the fundamental, inalienable rights of its citizens. We criticize the NBA for doing business with China while we’re taking selfies with our brand new $900 iPhone 13s made in China. We criticize Mickelson for doing business with Saudi Arabia while we’re pumping $4-a-gallon Saudi petroleum into our gas-guzzling Chevy Suburbans.
It’s sad that Mickelson has been expatriated from the game that he loves simply for being more candid and straightforward than other athletes, leagues and companies that do business in countries with human rights issues.
Even though Rory McIlroy — the first-round leader of The Arnie — has been one of Mickelson’s most vocal critics since this controversy began, he now says Phil should be forgiven.
“Phil has been a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf, still is a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf,’’ McIlroy said when I asked him about Phil earlier this week. “It’s unfortunate that a few comments that he thought he was making in confidence or off the record got out there.
“Look, Phil will be back. I think the players want to see him back. He’s done such a wonderful job for the game of golf, and he’s represented the game of golf very, very well for the entirety of his career. We all make mistakes. We all say things we want to take back. But we should be allowed to make mistakes, and we should be allowed to ask for forgiveness and for people to forgive us and move on.”
Well said, Mr. McIlroy.
Free Phil.
His legacy as one of golf’s all-time great players and goodwill ambassadors should not be ruined simply because he made the mistake of telling the truth.
