January 19, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
It seems that times are changing for some consumer brands when it comes to reacting to their ambassadors using slurs. This comes to light in less than one week since professional golfer Justin Thomas uttered a homophobic slur on the golf course following a missed shot.
Thomas quickly apologized for the derogatory comment which he uttered to himself in frustration upon missing a 4-foot par put. However, the word was picked up by an on-course microphone and heard on Golf Channel‘s telecast during the third round of the PGA Tour‘s Tournament of Champions on Jan. 9 at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.
Thomas apologized, saying, “It’s inexcusable,” he said to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis after the round. “First off, I just apologize. I mean, there’s no excuse. I’m an adult. I’m a grown man; there’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that.”
In an immediate response to the slur used by Thomas, Fashion company Ralph Lauren, which has sponsored Thomas since he turned professional in 2013, announced they were dropping the American as a paid endorser.
Ralph Lauren is one of Thomas’ key sponsors and responded with this statement:
“We believe in the dignity of all people, regardless of age, race, gender identity, ethnicity, political affiliation or sexual orientation,” the company said Friday in a statement. “In reflecting on the responsibility we have to all of our stakeholders, we have decided to discontinue our sponsorship of Mr. Thomas at this time.”
Despite the quick mea culpa, Ralph Lauren and its Polo brand of clothing made a quick decision to let got from its paid endorsers the No. 3-ranked player in the world.
“While we acknowledge that he has apologized and recognizes the severity of his words,” the Ralph Lauren statement read, “he is a paid ambassador of our brand, and his actions conflict with the inclusive culture that we strive to uphold.”
Not pulling their sponsorship of Thomas is Acushnet-owned brands Titleist and FootJoy. As of today, the two mega-companies still were listed as backers on his website. On record for loosing a sponsorship for the use of a slur is is PGA Tour player Scott Piercy who was dumped by Titleist, FootJoy and at least two other sponsors just days after he posted a homophobic slur directed as presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Instagram, nearly two years ago. In this incident, although Piercy apologized he was still reportedly also disciplined by the PGA Tour.
According to his website, Thomas also has sponsorships with Citi, NetJets, Woodford Reserve, Beats by Dr. Dre and Troon.
After the incident, Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil-rights organization, tweeted: “This type of discriminatory language causes real harm, and there is no place for it in sports. We must continue to work for greater inclusion and acceptance. That’s how we all ultimately will win.”
27-year-old Thomas has 13 PGA Tour victories which include the 2017 PGA Championship. He is a former top-ranked player in the world who next competition on the PGA Tour (based on his past years’ schedules) will most likely will be at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Feb. 4-7 at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
