An organization which represents the families of September 11, 2001, terror attack victims slammed the PGA for merging with LIV Golf on Tuesday.
The group, 9/11 Families United, released a statement condemning the decision and saying its members were “shocked and deeply offended.”
“PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan co-opted the 9/11 community last year in the PGA’s unequivocal agreement that the Saudi LIV project was nothing more than sportswashing of Saudi Arabia’s reputation,” 9/11 Families United Chair Terry Strada wrote in the statement. “But now the PGA and Monahan appear to have become just more paid Saudi shills, taking billions of dollars to cleanse the Saudi reputation so that Americans and the world will forget how the Kingdom spent their billions of dollars before 9/11 to fund terrorism, spread their vitriolic hatred of Americans, and finance al Qaeda and the murder of our loved ones. Make no mistake – we will never forget.” (RELATED: CNN Guest Rips PGA Tour For Not ‘Taking A Stand’ Against LIV Golf)
The Canadian Open is this week. Here is what PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said at that event one year ago. pic.twitter.com/CtmnK74kbd
— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) June 6, 2023
The PGA Commissioner notably criticized golfers who defected to the LIV tour last summer, citing morality and the 9/11 terror attacks. Monahan expressed sympathy for 9/11 families during a broadcast of last year’s Canadian Open. He acknowledged the “significant implications” which came with joining a league backed by the Saudi Arabian government. The commissioner also shared that two families close to him “lost loved ones” in the attacks.
“Mr. Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV Golfers ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour. They do now — as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed,” Strada added. “Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window-dressing in their quest for money – it was never to honor the great game of golf.”