Kmart to keep Fuzzy Zoeller merchandise in
stores
NEW YORK (AP) - Kmart Corp. will not pull its Fuzzy Zoeller
merchandise from shelves, despite the discount retailer's decision
to end its longtime sponsorship of the golfer because of his racially
insensitive comments about Tiger Woods.
The Troy, Mich.-based company, the nation's third-largest retailer,
said it would continue to sell the Zoeller golf equipment at the
regular retail price until supplies were depleted. The line includes
bags, gloves, irons, shoes and individual clubs.
"We stopped production of these items," Laura Mahle,
a spokeswoman for Kmart, said today. "But they will not disappear."
The Zoeller line only represents a "minimal assortment"
of Kmart's golf merchandise, and the company is considering whether
to replace the items, Mahle said.
Kmart dropped its sponsorship of Zoeller on Tuesday, after
he came under fire for comments about Woods, a pro sensation and
Masters champion. Kmart had sponsored Zoeller for more than six
years and his contract ran through December 1998.
Zoeller called Woods "that little boy" and urged
him not to request fried chicken and collard greens at the Champions
Dinner when he returns to Augusta National next year.
Kmart said the comments were inappropriate and offensive, even
though Zoeller said he was only joking during an interview with
CNN shortly after playing the final round at the Masters on April
13.
"Regardless of the context, they are contrary to Kmart's
longstanding policies that ensure our words and deeds are without
bias," Kmart said in a statement.
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