“When I leave New Jersey Thursday night, when I leave the golf course, if I don’t have an offer in hand, it’s over.”
That was Charles Barkley’s message to Greg Norman and the LIV Golf Invitational Series during a Monday appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
The 11-time NBA All-Star and current TNT analyst has been flirting with the Norman-led series over the last few weeks, which will hold its third event this week at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. Last week Barkley told the New York Post that he’s playing in a pro-am for the Bedminster event after he had met with Norman for dinner in Atlanta to discuss what his role would be with LIV.
"When I leave New Jersey Thursday night, when I leave the golf course (#LIV Pro-AM), if I don't have an offer in hand, it's over."
-Charles Barkley sets a deadline for an offer from #LIV pic.twitter.com/hfPdZPzGHc
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 25, 2022
“I’m not gonna keep TNT in limbo. To be honest with you, I don’t think it’s fair to them,” Barkley explained. “(LIV has) gotten plenty of play out of me coming to play up there Thursday. So I’m not just gonna be no show pony.”
The LIV broadcast, which is currently only available via live stream, recently added David Feherty to its talent sheet alongside former voice of the Premier League on NBC Arlo White – who is in his first foray as a golf announcer – as well as former Golf Channel analyst Jerry Foltz and Dom Boulet.
The series, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has long been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to sportswash its human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. And members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.
Barkley said it has been “very stressful” since news broke of his interest in LIV and even called out players for being afraid to admit the decision to join the series is for the guaranteed money.
You can watch the full interview here.
