Hank Haney has officially been suspended from his SiriusXM radio show, following comments he made on-air during his Wednesday morning program.
Haney at first gave a half-hearted apology, followed by one that appeared to be more full-hearted, now the world renowned swing coach says, “I accept my suspension and apologize again.”
“Mr. Haney’s comments on women’s professional golf were insensitive and do not represent the views of the PGA Tour or SiriusXM.” SiriusXM said in a statement. “The PGA Tour is committed to and proud of the increasingly diverse makeup of our fan base, not to mention the power and accomplishments of the game’s world-class, global players—both on the PGA Tour and LPGA, whom we are working with more closely than ever before. SiriusXM proudly covers and supports both women’s and men’s golf and the athletes that make them great. At the PGA Tour’s instruction Mr. Haney has been suspended from the SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio channel. SiriusXM is reviewing his status on SiriusXM going forward.”
Haney is a weekday morning host on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio and Wednesday morning, he made inexcusable comments while discussing the U.S. Women’s Open with co-host Steve Johnson.
“This week is the 74th U.S. Women’s Open, Hank,” co-host Steve Johnson began the conversation.
“Oh it is? I’m gonna predict a Korean,” Haney responded.
“Ok, that’s a pretty safe bet,” Johnson said while laughing.
“I couldn’t name you six players on the LPGA Tour,” Haney said. “Nah, maybe I could – well, I’d go with Lee. If I didn’t have to name a first name, I’d get a bunch of them right.”
“We’ve got six Lees,” Johnson said, adding to Haney’s insensitive remark regarding the number of Korean athletes they expect to compete in the U.S. Women’s open.
After receiving backlash for the comments while still on-air, Haney told his audience he couldn’t remember what he said, but will “apologize right now if I offended people.”
His comments drew attention from Michelle Wie, a popular Korean American golfer who responded to Haney on Twitter.
Following Wie’s reaction, Haney released a more thought-out apology, accepting responsibility for his comments.
“This morning, I made some comments about women’s golf and its players that were insensitive, and that I regret,” Haney wrote. “In an effort to make a point about the overwhelming success of Korean players on the tour, I offended people and I am sorry. I have the highest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport, and I never meant to take away from their abilities and accomplishments. I’ve worked in this game with men and women players from many different cultures, and I look forward to continuing to do so.”
Haney has been off-air since the insensitive comments he made on Wednesday. SiriusXM officially announced his suspension Thursday evening. SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio offers full live coverage of the 74th U.S. Women’s Open from Charleston, South Carolina.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.
