An "emotional" Fuzzy Zoeller withdrew from the Greater
Greensboro Chrysler Classic yesterday in the aftermath of
racially insensitive comments Zoeller made regarding Tiger
Woods, according to Scott Michaux of the Greensboro NEWS &
RECORD. Zoeller had been a tournament "fixture for 22
years." Zoeller read from a statement: "Because I deeply
regret what I said and because I have not been able to talk
personally with Tiger, I have decided to withdraw from the
golf tournament this week. I started this, and I feel
strongly that I have to make things right with Tiger first
before anything else." Zoeller said he has tried to get in
contact with Woods, adding, "He's a very hard man to get a
hold of." Officials from IMG, the agency that represents
Woods, were not available. On Tuesday, Kmart ended its
relationship with Zoeller and company spokesperson Laura
Mahle said the company will sell the Zoeller line of
merchandise that is currently in stores, but there will be
no new production (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 4/24). Kmart
VP Shawn Kahle "declined to say how much Kmart paid Zoeller
for the sponsorship and to have the golfer promote its
products" (Leonard Shapiro, WASHINGTON POST, 4/24).
FUZZY'S FUTURE: ESPN's Jimmy Roberts: "For a man well-
known as one of the most light-hearted in professional
sports, today was a dark day" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 4/23).
CNN/SI's Nick Charles: "It remains to be seen what the long-
term damage will be to Fuzzy Zoeller -- how he will be
viewed from this day forward, and how he will be remembered.
Zoeller, though, with one intemperate remark joins a
pantheon of sports figures whose public utterances have
fanned the flames of racial or societal tension and consumed
many of them in the process. ... Woods remains silent, and
Zoeller has left the tour in disgrace. The irony, though,
is that Zoeller's ability to rescue himself from the ashes
could be directly dependant on whether the 21-year-old
champion, whom he insulted, is willing to forgive and
forget" ("CNN/SI," 4/23).
KMART'S ROLE: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes that
Zoeller's remarks and Kmart's subsequent decision
"underscore the occasionally tenuous relationship between
athletes who want money and sponsors who want to move
product." Steve Disson, of DC-based sports marketing firm
D&F Marketing, said Kmart "wanted to show they're sensitive,
politically correct and socially conservative. I applaud
their swift action." David Burns, founder of Burns Sports
Celebrity: "My feeling is that Kmart was scared. ... Kmart
must have assumed they'd get pressure" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/24).
Kmart CEO Floyd Hall: "We've had a great relationship with
Fuzzy Zoeller. He's really a wonderful guy, and I'm sorry
that this happened. And I'm sure he is as well. I know he
is" ("Market Wrap," CNBC, 2/23). PGA Tour's Tom Kite:
"Certainly this one was something that was very
inappropriate, but I think it's unfortunate that some of the
companies and some of his affiliations have not stood behind
him" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 3/24).
TOUR REACTION: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem issued
a statement saying Zoeller's remarks yesterday "demonstrated
how deep his concerns are regarding the inappropriateness of
these comments" (PGA Tour). Davis Love III: "I wouldn't
expect Tiger to know how to handle this situation. I would
expect some people that are working with him to know how to
handle it" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 4/23).
