Zoeller pays penalty, while Woods moves forward
By Frank Luksa / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - For the first time since ending a month-long
absence from the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods on Tuesday publicly confronted
the issue of menus at the Masters. So it goes with the debate
over fried chicken and collard greens that lingers as a source
of national indigestion.
The burps began in Augusta last month with Fuzzy Zoeller's
breezy, ill-considered remark that Woods might choose those foods
to be served at the 1998 champion's dinner. Zoeller wound up buried
in the deepest sand trap of his life. He was labeled a racist,
had K-Mart cancel his endorsement contract, apologized for what
he said and hasn't appeared since in a Tour event.
Tiger issued a dry statement in which he described Zoeller's
words as "unfortunate," and added that he knew of Fuzzy's
reputation as a jokester. There the matter lay like a free drop
until Woods offered more honest responses during a 57-minute,
pre-GTE Byron Nelson Classic news conference.
Woods also had his indiscreet language to defend. He was quoted
in the April issue of "GQ" magazine telling obscene
jokes. One punch line reinforced a racial stereotype; another
sought laughs at the expense of gays and lesbians. Compared to
the uproar that dogs Zoeller, reaction to Tiger's poor taste has
been tsk, tsk.
Zoeller faced automatic assumption of being racially insensitive
at best and biased at worst. Yet no one accused Woods, on the
basis of offensive humor, of an attitude consistent with homophobic
gay-and-lesbian bashing.
Anyway, the line of questions force-marched Woods through the
Zoeller controversy. Tiger thought he responded well to a situation
where he preferred to keep silent.
"To be honest, I didn't even want to issue a statement
because I didn't do anything wrong. That was my concern,"
Woods said. "I was drawn into a situation where I had no
choice.
"I didn't dig myself into the hole, but I got drawn into
it. It was a tough deal for everybody. Now it's over, and we can
all move on."
But it's not over. The national press wasn't moving off the
subject that soon. Since Tiger and Fuzzy are yet to speak to each
other, what might Woods say to Zoeller if they meet at the MasterCard
Colonial next week?
"I'd just like to ask him what he meant exactly,"
Woods said. "I'd have a one-on-one, heart-to-heart talk with
him. Nothing tough ... I just want some true emotion to see what's
going on. After that, it's over."
Someone noted that the Woods-Zoeller flap still inspires locker-room
whispers among fellow pros. Some players feel Tiger allowed the
popular Zoeller to dangle too long before issuing his semi-soothing
statement. Woods disagreed.
"I'm not concerned about it at all because I didn't say
those comments," Woods said. "I'm not the one who got
in trouble. And, unfortunately, I was brought into the situation
unwillingly. I think I responded at the appropriate time."
What Tiger DID say in the "GQ" article raised an
observation that both he and Zoeller blurted words they'd like
to retract. Woods drew a fuzzy distinction between his off-color
joke about blacks and Zoeller using particular food as an alleged
racial putdown.
Tiger separated the incidents in terms of audience and arena:
Fuzzy spoke to cameras and notebooks on the grounds of Augusta
National, while Tiger's jokes, which he didn't think would be
repeated, were made to a limousine driver during an interview
for the "GQ" story. The difference to Tiger teetered
on a thin line between slips of the lip in public and in private.
Never mind that in either venue, or before any audience, it's
behavior worthy of reproach.
"He (Zoeller) said it to, I guess - I saw the tape - to
people right there all around. Media. I was just unknowingly talking
to a limo driver who was miked. There's a difference there. A
big difference," Woods insisted.
If Tiger plans to ask Zoeller's intent with his chicken-and-greens
crack, is it fair for a gay or lesbian person to inquire what
Woods meant by his jokes? Yes, he said.
"If you're going to say something, you're going to have
to live with the consequences," Woods said. 'I understand
what I said, jokingly, having fun. If they want to confront that,
that's fine. I'll tell them what went on. They can accept it or
not."
Woods emerged from the "GQ" article unscathed except
for a revelation that he has a taste for unsavory jokes. Zoeller
has taken heavy shrapnel for basically a similar offense.
"I've paid a price, but I wouldn't say to the degree that
Fuzzy has," Tiger said. "That's tough what he went through.
I'm sorry that it turned out the way it did."
(Frank Luksa is a sports columnist for the Dallas Morning News.
Write to him at: Dallas Morning News, Communications Center, Dallas,
Texas 75265.)
(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.
Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/
Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
|
