Ousted PGA of America President Ted Bishop "had no second thoughts about his choice of words for more than an hour" after calling golfer Ian Poulter a "lil girl" on social media Thursday evening, according to Jaime Diaz of GOLF WORLD MONDAY. Bishop said, "To be honest with you, there was no hesitation when I typed 'Lil Girl.'" He checked his phone later on Thursday and "saw tweets calling him a sexist," and he was eventually removed from his position a day later. Bishop, speaking over the weekend, said, "My biggest regret in all this is not getting my own apology out. I've gotten killed from some people saying that I never apologized, or I waited too long to apologize, but that was totally out of my control." Diaz details steps in how the PGA of America made its decision, and Bishop said VP Derek Sprague "clearly read from a script" when he told Bishop during a conference call on Friday that Sprague had the support of the board in asking for Bishop's resignation. Bishop added that Sprague later during a private call that told him "whether [Bishop] resigned or was removed by the board, he would be unable to serve as an honorary president, would never be recognized as a past president, but could continue as a PGA member." Bishop: "I said, Wow." Diaz notes Bishop "decided to make a statement to the 21-person board in a 4p.m. teleconference" rather than resign. Bishop: "I apologized to the board, reiterated that I had very much wanted to make a public apology. And I said I don't think the punishment fits the crime. And that doesn't mean I don't have remorse for what I did. Trust me, I abused my platform. I know I made a huge mistake. I'm the first to say that. I let my personal feelings for two guys [Poulter and Nick Faldo] get in my way and used a bad choice of words in trying to convey my frustration." PGA of America CEO Pete Bevacqua said, "Professionally, this was absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with, and personally it was more difficult than that." He added of Bishop, "He will always be our 38th president, but his public words as the head of our organization were so contrary to our mission of seeking diversity and accessibility, we felt the need to do something swiftly and fairly. ... We didn't know if any additional public comments on Ted's part would serve the organization well" (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 10/27 issue).
MAKING THE CALL: Sprague said of the decision to remove Bishop from office, "We have a board of directors who have the ultimate authority of the PGA of America. ... As Ted's comment said, we had due process with Ted, and so we had a lot of discussion. There was no preconceived notion. We knew this was a serious matter, and we dealt with it swiftly and seriously" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/25). Bishop is "the first PGA president to be ousted" and had "one month left on his two-year term" (AP, 10/25). Bishop "termed his ousting an 'impeachment' and explained that he was given the option to resign, which he declined in order to speak to the board of directors and offer a 'personal apology.'" GOLFCHANNEL.com's Jason Sobel noted while the PGA deems Bishop to have been removed from office, Bevacqua "did concede that Bishop's use of the term 'impeachment' was 'accurate in its essence.'" Bishop's removal "means that he will not be recognized as an honorary president or past president by the PGA, nor will he be invited back to future PGA Championships or Ryder Cups in an honorary fashion" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/24).
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Poulter says he is "disappointed" in the choice of
words used in the PGA of America leader's tweet |
POULTER-GEIST: Poulter said that he "was disappointed in Bishop's tweet." He added in a statement, "Is being called a `lil girl' meant to be derogatory or a put down? That's pretty shocking and disappointing, especially coming from the leader of the PGA of America. No further comment" (GOLF.com, 10/24). PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem in a statement said, "While his remarks on social media were unfortunate and inappropriate, Ted's apology was heartfelt and sincere. We will always appreciate Ted's commitment to the game of golf" (PGA Tour). The LPGA issued a statement that read, "The PGA of America's quick and decisive action sent a strong message -- reinforcing a consistent belief that with so many positive gains being made among golf's leading organizations, there is simply no room nor willingness, to take a step backwards" (LPGA).
THE RIGHT MOVE: Golf Channel's Paige MacKenzie said Bishop is a "leader, so he has a good and high responsibility to act in the right way and represent the people that have put him in that position." MacKenzie: "What the leader does, it sets the tone, dialogue and sets the example. He did not set a good example. He didn’t represent the PGA of America. I felt like this was the right decision because he had alienated himself from the group from the group that he was representing." Author John Feinstein noted golf is "very sensitive about people who don't behave (and) live up to the standards of behavior we expect" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 10/24). ESPN's Bob Harig said, "It’s sort of a message from PGA of America that they take it seriously, even something said maybe in jest or in anger on social media. The comment about little girls is demeaning, it’s insensitive. The PGA of America caters to women also and it’s also just unbecoming to get into a spat such as this over what Poulter wrote in a book" (ESPN.com, 10/24). USA Today's Christine Brennan: "I would now say that golf is now a leader in the fight for women in sports, and we couldn’t have said that 48 hours ago. That is how big of a watershed moment I think this is” (“Golf Central, Golf Channel, 10/25).
LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED? GOLF WORLD's Diaz writes Bishop's ouster is "as swift and sudden a fall from grace as a high-ranking golf official has ever suffered" (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 10/27 issue). SI's Michael Bamberger said of Bishop's removal, "I could see the firing. ... But stripping him of his place in the PGA's official history? That's crazy overkill." Golf.com Managing Editor Eamon Lynch said, "Whether Bishop deserved to be defrocked of his presidency seems less interesting than why he engendered such contempt among the upper echelons of his own organization that he will be erased from the PGA's history books. ... Being denied the customary Honorary President role and not even being recognized as a past president going forward, that's so disproportionate to the offense that it can only be a twisting of the knife." SI Senior Editor Jeff Ritter said, "Impeachment felt right. Wiping out his presidency from the history books seems harsh." Golf Magazine Senior Editor Joe Passov said, "The PGA did right by expelling him, wrong by banishing him from history" (GOLF.com, 10/27). Golf World's Geoff Shackelford: "It is bordering on the absurd that not only was he removed, but that he is going to be erased from the history books and treated as if this very ... successful presidency did not exist." He added he believes the PGA BOD "is going to take some heat here” (“Golf Central, Golf Channel, 10/25).
TED TALK: SI's Bamberger wrote Bishop "will be derided as a clown, as a man in constant need of attention but unsure what to do with it, and as a sexist." But "in reality, he was none of the above." Bishop's "lil girl" comment "was not consistent with his actions throughout his career, but it was consistent with what he has shown throughout his 23 months as president: he liked the warmth of the fire, and then he got too close to it." The PGA of America "did the right thing in forcing him out" (GOLF.com, 10/24). Golf World's Tim Rosaforte said this "goes against the legacy he built as PGA President as it relates to women and inclusion." Rosaforte: "Ted prided himself on being a game changer, and this certainly changed the game as it relates to perception of him" ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 10/24). Rosaforte added while Bishop's name "will be removed from the PGA’s historical record, his legacy will not." Love him or hate him, and there "were plenty on both sides, Bishop had a core of supporters" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 10/25). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Rex Hoggard wrote this is "not a Twitter problem," but rather this is "a Ted Bishop problem." His wounds "were entirely self-inflicted and while some said his dismissal just weeks before he was scheduled to step down was excessive, his position was utterly indefensible following an ill-advised and insensitive tweet." Bishop now "holds the distinction of being the first golf executive to be excommunicated as a result of a social media faux pas." Had Bishop "sat through last month’s rookie orientation in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., he would have known, for example, that insensitive remarks of any kind are strictly verboten" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/25).
SIGN OF THE TIMES: In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis wrote Bishop leaves, "depending on your angle, as either a victim of modern political correctness run amok, or a ham-handed dinosaur who should relegate his public utterances to the men’s grill" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 10/26). GOLFWEEK's Alex Miceli wrote it "seems unthinkable that social-media references to Poulter as acting like a little girl could cause Bishop to lose his job." Miceli: "I have to question whether this swift judgment truly was a fair judgment. ... By any reasonable measure, the punishment didn't fit the crime" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/25). GOLFCHANNEL.com's Jay Coffin wrote he "made attempts to reach several of the most respected women in the game and nearly all did not feel comfortable enough to comment" on Bishop's comments or his ouster. Coffin: "It’s my sincere hope that women don’t view silence as golden the next time this topic arises, because sadly, at some point, it will resurface again" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 10/25). In N.Y., Karen Crouse writes it was "telling how many people in the game were slow to react to Bishop’s comments." The LPGA "waited until after Bishop’s forced departure before releasing a statement." Inclusiveness "is going to be a problem in the game as long as its power brokers remain overwhelmingly male and white" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/27).
PRESIDENT FOR A MONTH: Sprague was appointed interim President until Nov. 22, when the election of new national officers takes place. PGA of America Secretary Paul Levy will assume the dual responsibilities of VP and Secretary until the election (PGA). Sprague said of the decision to remove Bishop, "This is a dark day for the PGA of America. This is the first time in our 98-year history that this has been done." GOLFWEEK's Miceli noted Sprague unlike his predecessor "has shunned the spotlight and media attention." He "is a people person and prefers to work one-on-one, not through the camera." Sprague: "I'm the type of leader that I like to look forwards, not backwards. Hopefully we can put this behind us as quickly as possible" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/25).
MADAM SECRETARY? GOLF WORLD's Ryan Harrington writes there are some "who had already deemed" former golfer Suzy Whaley a "front-runner to win election as secretary at the PGA of America's annual meeting." Bishop's dismissal seems to have "only bolstered" her campaign (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 10/27 issue). In West Palm Beach, Brian Biggane noted "more than 1,000 of the 27,000 PGA of America members are women." Whaley told ESPN Bishop’s comments were "definitely sexist" and insulting. Whaley is "running for secretary at next month’s meeting, a post that would put her in line to become president" in '18 (PALM BEACH POST, 10/25).
