Text of statement by Fuzzy Zoeller
By The Associated Press
Text of a statement released Wednesday by golfer Fuzzy Zoeller
in withdrawing from the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic following
the controversy stemming from his comments about Tiger Woods:
Following the Masters Tournament at Augusta I said something
that I realize I should not have said and that I deeply regret
saying. I've apologized publicly for those comments. My comments
were not intended to be racially derogatory. Everyone who knows
me knows that I'm a jokester, but that is no excuse for what I
said. Jokes aren't funny when they hurt people. I realize that
what I said has hurt many people and I apologize to anyone who
was offended.
Because I deeply regret what I said, and because I have not
yet been able to talk personally to Tiger, I have decided to withdraw
from the golf tournament this week. I started this and I feel
very strongly that I have to make things right with Tiger first
before anything else.
I also regret the distraction this has caused the world of
golf. What I said is distracting people at this tournament. And
that's not fair to the other people on this course trying to play
this tournament. However, it is also distracting us from what
we should be still talking about, and that's Tiger's historic
performance at Augusta. And that's not fair to Tiger.
What he did at Augusta, no one has ever done. Almost singlehandedly,
Tiger is creating a lot of new excitement and interest in this
game. Please don't let what I said take away from what Tiger Woods
has done and what he's going to continue to do for the game of
golf.
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