Freedom of speech took another blow when a Golf Channel anchor says something stupid and is now suspended for words that were “hurtful and grossly inappropriate”

Golf Channel last night announced that it suspended its lead anchor, Kelly Tilghman, for two weeks in the wake of comments she made last week that the channel deemed “hurtful and grossly inappropriate.”

Tilghman was bantering with analyst Nick Faldo Friday after the second round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship when she suggested one way for young players to deal with the challenge posed by Tiger Woods would be to “lynch him in a back alley.”

A Golf Channel spokesman said Tilghman quickly regretted the remark and apologized to viewers Sunday and to Woods directly. newsday

Jason Whitlock comments 

Al Sharpton compared Tilghman’s on-air remarks to Don Imus’s “nappy-headed ho” controversy. Sharpton, as is normally the case, is wrong.

What Tilghman did, despite her 12-year friendship with Woods, was much worse than what Imus did. Imus, a radio shock jock known for crude attempts at humor, cracked a bad joke on a morning radio show. Tilghman is an anchor on the Golf Channel. No one expects her to be racy, controversial or stupid.

Also, Tilghman can’t argue that she picked up the notion of “lynching Tiger in a back alley” from black popular culture. She came up with that nonsense all on her own.

Do I think Tilghman is some bigot extremist? No. I think she’s incredibly stupid and perhaps unqualified for her job. She’s in good mixed company in that category.

Should she be fired? No. She made a mistake, apologized to Woods privately and publicly and should be granted the opportunity to rebound. We all make mistakes. A decade ago, I screwed up in a New England press box, cracked a joke about Drew Bledsoe that made me appear homophobic. I apologized, sat out a two-week suspension and moved on.

It is possible for people to learn from their mistakes. There is nothing positive to be gained from throwing a gigantic pity party for Tilghman or trying to bury her.

What should we make of Tiger Woods’ decision to avoid dealing with this controversy publicly and personally? We, the media, make it too costly for public figures to express their honest feelings. We can’t handle the truth. Tiger is best served saying as little as possible. Fox

Filed under: Golf, Golf Channel, News, Reporter, Tiger Woods, sports, suspension