PGA Tour breaks silence on unrest following George Floyd death
"This unrest is unacceptable and it's got to stop. So, for us, it's a matter of what we can do to make a difference and be part of the solution."
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 08/06/20 10:32am
The PGA Tour are committed to being "part of the solution" as unrest continues worldwide following the death of George Floyd.
Images of Floyd's turmoil in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes caused widespread outrage and prompted protests in a number of major cities around the globe in support of the #BlackLivesMatter campaign.
Many prominent sports organisations have issued statements supporting the movement, with the European Tour among those to post a black square on their Instagram feed, while Tiger Woods and Harold Varner III were notable professionals to express their solidarity via social media.
The PGA Tour have been criticised for being slow to react to the growing campaign, although commissioner Jay Monahan did write to all Tour members and employees on Monday with the headline "A time to communicate and search for answers".
This correspondence was made public on Friday along with a video featuring Monahan in deep discussion with Varner on social injustices and solutions, but Monahan has insisted there was "no reluctance" to publicise the Tour's reaction.
"The reality is, making a statement is one thing, and when players are compelled to do so, then that's exactly what they should do," Monahan told Sky Sports News.
"But as the leader of this organisation, anything that I'm going to say I want to make sure it's part of the solution. And I'm not sure what the solution is right now.
"As I've said to the players and employees, this unrest is unacceptable and it's got to stop. I don't think there is any debate about that. So, for us, it's a matter of what we can do to make a difference and be part of the solution.
"That's what we're committed to doing and I think, for any organisation, it's not a matter of not necessarily what you say at the time, I've been very clear that this is wrong. But I think it's a matter of what you do.
"We are an organisation of action. Nobody does more for the communities where we play than we do, and nobody has a better soul in a moment like this. I think that will be on full display as we go forward."
Asked why the PGA Tour hadn't followed the trend of posting the black square in Instagram, Monahan added: "I think we've shown support. We've actually been pretty transparent about how we're looking at this. We tend to look at these things in really short, narrow windows. But the question is: "What are we doing about it?"
"That's where I'm now focusing all my time and all my energy, and I expect to be held accountable. I look forward to telling that story as we go forward."
