Golf star Tiger Woods may have earned praise from President Donald Trump on Twitter after refusing to bash the man over the weekend — but his words also inspired an out of control segment on ESPN.
One host even declared that Woods wasn’t really a black man.
“First Take” co-host Max Kellerman (shown above right) said on Monday that he was “angry” with Woods for telling the press that he had “respect” for the office of the president, no matter who is in charge in the White House.
Then commentator Stephen A. Smith (shown above left) actually went so far as to say that Woods was “not black.”
“I think a lot of people, especially people of color, immigrants feel threatened by him, by his policies … What do you say to people who might find it interesting, I guess, that you have a friendly relationship with him?” Woods was asked by a New York Times reporter on Sunday, shortly after the final round of The Northern Trust golf tournament, held in Paramus, New Jersey.
The reporter’s insinuation, it seemed clear, was that Woods maintains a rather personal relationship with the president — who is tightening immigration controls in the country and feuding with both NBA and NFL players.
Woods responded to the reporter’s provocative question by saying, “Well, he’s the president of the United States, and you have to respect the office. And no matter who’s in the office — you may like, dislike the personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office.”
Then came the ESPN panel comments.
And this is what has people talking — and still talking a day after it happened.
“It really bothers me. I’m angry at what Tiger Woods said, because it is a thoughtless statement dressed up as a thoughtful statement, and it either holds in contempt the intelligence of people who hear it, or else it’s just a stupid thing to say,” Kellerman said, in response to the thoughts Tiger Woods shared.
“When he got arrested, he was black,” added Smith. “He was listed [as] black on the report.”
“Well, first of all, we don’t know what Tiger Woods believes,” Smith later added.
“He’s Cablinasian. He’s not black,” he also said.
“When he got arrested, he was black,” added Smith. “He was listed [as] black on the report.”
To see more of this ridiculous exchange on ESPN, check out the video of this segment below:
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