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Phil Mickelson is officially back doing what he really enjoys doing – making lots of money.
Oh yeah, he’s also going to be playing some golf as he’s the captain of team Hy Flyers GC (for real, that’s a real team name) in LIV Golf’s first event, which begins tomorrow in London.
By now we know how gross this league is and yesterday we had to sit there and listen to a bunch of dudes say a bunch of dumb things about a league that’s financially backed by a Saudi government that executed 81 people back in March and has committed horrific human rights violations for many years.
Mickelson arrived on the scene Tuesday evening dressed like a confused man who’s just hoping for a fresh start on things. This morning it was his time to talk to the press and in his 30-minute session he made it so clear that he will not stand for human rights violations.
Check this out:
“I don’t condone human rights violations at all,” Mickelson said. “Nobody here does, throughout the world. I’m certainly aware of what’s happened with Jamal Khashoggi, and I think it’s terrible. I’ve also seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history, and I believe that LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well. I’m excited about this opportunity, and that’s why I’m here.”
That right there is an amazing quote and shows just how little anyone in this Tour really cares about any of the serious issues that they gloss over on their way to checking their bank accounts.
Look at the emptiness at the start it – “I don’t condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does, throughout the world.”
Nobody here does, throughout the world! Wow, way to really put your deep feelings on this out into the open. It really means a lot.
Then in one breath Mickelson went from saying he thought a brutal murder of a journalist by agents of the Saudi government was just terrible but quickly went in to how the game of golf has done some great things and he’s excited to see it do more great things.
What a joke.
This is sportswashing at its very worst/most obvious and everyone involved in this league should be ashamed of themselves. Greg Norman and others have spoken about how this league will help give the Saudi’s a new look and will help change the culture but only one of the eight events will be held in Saudi Arabia so Norman and Co. and knock it off with that talk.
The players should be taking the time to denounce the Saudi government for all the horrific things that it has done. Instead, they’ll take the money, smile for the cameras, be captains of teams with awful names that nobody will care about and laugh all the way to the bank.
Good stuff!
Quick hits: Redick and McCollum call out Stephen A. Smith… Klay’s YouTube plan to break out of slump… OBJ crashed Sean McVay’s wedding… And more.
– J.J. Redick and C.J. McCollum went on First Take yesterday and brilliantly called out Stephen A. Smith over his dumb Russell Westbrook remarks.
– Klay Thompson’s plan to breakout of his slump includes going to YouTube to re-watch one of his best performances.
– Odell Beckham Jr. crashed Sean McVay’s wedding this past weekend and the coach’s mom loved it.
– Keith Hernandez had a hilarious moment in the Mets’ booth and it had to do about strokes.
