Bryson DeChambeau is a pro golfer who received $125 million from LIV Golf, the international golf association created by the Saudi Arabian government. This week, LIV struck a deal with the PGA that would see the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund invest billions of dollars into American companies sponsoring the events. The Saudis have also bought Newcastle, an English Premier League soccer team, and introduced its own Grand Prix Formula One motor races around the world.
It’s being called “sportswashing,” and the Saudis are getting very good at it.
But there’s one issue that no amount of “washing” will clean: the Saudi government’s involvement in funding and assisting Osama bin Laden in planning and executing the 9/11 terror attacks.
We know that this involvement included high-ranking members of the Saudi royal family and the government running interference for the terrorists despite knowing who they were and what they did. The families of 9/11 victims aren’t going to forget that and are still pursuing legal action against the Saudis for their crimes.
Related: Hell Freezes Over: PGA Gets Into Bed With Saudis, Merges With LIV Golf
But DeChambeau thinks it’s time for the 9/11 families to “move forward” from their loss.
During a truly disgraceful CNN interview with Kaitlan Collins, DeChambeau was asked to respond to anger from the families of 9/11 victims who hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its role in the attacks. In a statement released Tuesday after the merger was announced, the Families of 9/11 United blasted pro golf as just “more paid Saudi shills”.
So how did Bryson respond? By acting like a paid Saudi shill.
Indeed, the Saudis got their whole $125 million’s worth.
Some selected highlights from the CNN interview.
Instead of sportswashing, perhaps a simple apology from the Saudi Arabian government would be a good start. That, and a few hundred billion dollars to pay for the suffering and loss of the families, the property they destroyed, and the national trauma they inflicted on a country that was supposed to be an ally.