Justin Thomas expresses his deep regret after Ralph Lauren cut sponsorship ties following his homophobic slur in Hawaii, with world No 3 admitting ‘I put them in a terrible position… it’s humiliating’
- Justin Thomas used derogatory word at the Sentry Tournament of Champions
- He said the slur after missing a five-foot par putt on the fourth hole at Kapalua
- World No 3 Thomas immediately apologised for the mistake in Hawaii
- Ralph Lauren have since cut their sponsorship ties with the 27-year-old
Justin Thomas has admitted he was deeply ‘upset’ at being dropped by clothing sponsor Ralph Lauren after using a homophobic slur during the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
World No 3 Thomas Thomas was heard using the derogatory word ‘f****t’ towards himself after missing a five-foot par putt on the fourth hole at Kapalua.
The 27-year-old later apologised for the remark. He told the Golf Channel: ‘There’s just no excuse. I’m an adult, I’m a grown man. There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that. It’s terrible. I’m extremely embarrassed.’
Justin Thomas had his sponsorship ties with Ralph Lauren cut after his homophobic slur
Despite the apology, Ralph Lauren immediately severed ties with 2017 US PGA Championship winner Thomas.
But on Wednesday, the American said that he had hoped to work together with the brand to address the issue.
‘Just like my other partners and other sponsorships, it’s an opportunity for them to help me just like I hope to help them,’ Thomas said.
‘Like I said, I wasn’t disappointed, because I put them in a terrible position. I just was more upset.
‘I had a great relationship with a lot of people there, and like I said, we would have had the opportunity to do it together, and I totally respect their decision and I’ve moved on from it.’
Thomas shouted ‘f*****’ after missing a five-foot putt at the Sentry Tournament of Champions
Thomas was then asked how he would respond to suggestions that what happened in Hawaii may not have been an isolated incident, but rather it was the first time it had been picked up on a microphone.
‘Yeah, it’s very easy to say that and understand but that’s unfortunately just what comes with it in terms of people not knowing who I am and the consequences of what I said,’ the world number three added.
‘You know, I’m clearly beyond (not) proud of what I said. It’s humiliating. It’s embarrassing. It’s not me.
‘It’s not a word that I use, but for some reason, it was in there. And that’s what I’m trying to figure out as to why it was in there.
‘It’s going to be a part of this process and training program or whatever I need to do, not only to prove to myself but prove to my sponsors and prove to those people that don’t know who I am, that that is indeed not the person I am.’
Ralph Lauren made the announcement that they had cut ties with Thomas last weekend, releasing a statement on the matter.
In a statement, the American clothing brand said: ‘We are disheartened by Mr Thomas’s recent language, which is entirely inconsistent with our values.
Ralph Lauren said in a statement last weekend that they were ‘disheartened’ by his language
‘While we acknowledge that he has apologised and recognises the severity of his words, he is a paid ambassador of our brand and his actions conflict with the inclusive culture that we strive to uphold.
‘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.’
Thomas is not the first golfer to have been embroiled in a scandal involving homophobic slurs. Patrick Reed was forced to apologise for using the same slur at Shanghai’s WGC-HSBC Champions event in 2014.
Meanwhile in March last year, PGA Tour player Scott Piercy was dropped by his sponsors after sharing a homophobic meme on Instagram about former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, who was a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
The American lost two sponsorship deals as a result of the saga, which also saw him reference the far-right group QAnon.