Golfer Sergio Garcia Career Fried over Tiger Racist Comments

Recently we reported on a longtime feud between golfers Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods, which flared up at the Players Championship at Sawgrass a fortnight ago.  This week, Garcia really put his foot into it when he made a racial comment, supposedly in jest, at a players award event and now stands to lose millions in sponsorship grants as a result.

Asked jokingly by the awards presenter whether he would be inviting Tiger Woods round for dinner at the US Open next month, the Spaniard answered: “Every night – and serving him fried chicken.”  The comment was slammed for its racial overtones since fried chicken is a food stereotypically associated with African Americans.

The incident made sporting headlines around the world, leading Garcia to issue a humble and heartfelt apology: “I say I am truly sorry and that I feel sick about it. My answer was stupid and out of place and I can’t say sorry enough about that. I wasn’t able to sleep at all last night. I wish I didn’t do it but the only thing I can do is apologize.”

Garcia’s main sponsor TaylorMade is watching the situation closely and has said in no uncertain terms that if the furor continues too long in the media, it will pull out of its GBP 5 million sponsorship deal with the golfer.

“Sergio Garcia’s comment was offensive and in no way aligns with our values and corporate culture,” read a statement issued by TaylorMade. “We discussed with Sergio that his comments are clearly out of bounds and we are continuing to review the matter.”

The world’s number 1, Tiger Woods’ comments on the matter were as follows: “The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate. I am confident there was real regret that the remark was made.”