Apologies are a test of character, and Phil Mickelson's revealed his after 'reckless' comments
Legend has it that Marcus Licinius Crassus of Rome was killed by the mutineering men he'd led into a failed battle, who poured molten gold down their leader's throat in mockery of his thirst for wealth. Philip Alfred Mickelson of Rancho Santa Fe, on the other hand, was merely deserted by his bootless troops as the cause in which he had conscripted them slipped away. As for the symbolic choking on needless greed, he served and swallowed that ruinous cocktail himself.
Apologies are less about atoning for past mistakes than setting the table for future comity, so it was noteworthy that the most fulsome atonement in the statement Mickelson released Tuesday was directed not at those he had insulted but toward those about whom he had told the truth.
There was no mention of the PGA Tour or its commissioner, Jay Monahan, whom he had accused of "coercive, strong-arm" tactics in comments to the writer Alan Shipnuck that were made public six days ago, a conversation in which Mickelson admitted to overlooking Saudi atrocities because the regime provided leverage to force concessions from the Tour that would further enrich him. But for LIV Golf Investments, the anodyne brand from which emissaries of the world's foremost bonesaw enthusiast are attempting to launch a hostile takeover of men's professional golf, there was buttery praise.
Hailing the Saudis as "visionaries" who "passionately love golf" represented a dizzying pivot given that last week Mickelson was revealed to have called them "scary mother--s," murderers and human rights abusers. But perhaps he learned from the example of Jamal Khashoggi that lèse-majesté laws are decidedly unforgiving in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's circles.
Mickelson's entire statement was self-serving tripe in which he brazenly postured as a Rosa Parks for the prosperous, standing against injustice and "taking the hits publicly" that such displays of courage entail. He would have golf fans believe that he is martyring himself for the betterment of the game, while in truth he has allied himself with people richly experienced in creating martyrs.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/pga/2022/02/23/phil-mickelson-reveals-character-apology/49849647/
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