A few years ago, the PGA Tour came up with a well-conceived ad campaign that showcased its litany of talented players with videos of them hitting remarkable shots. Each video was accompanied with a tag line that read, “These guys are good.’’
Now it is time for the PGA Tour to be “good’’ and stop hiding what should be public information regarding player suspensions, failed drug tests, conduct detrimental to the Tour, etc.
For years, the PGA Tour has been insulting us with the ridiculous cloak-and-dagger, closed-door manner in which it handles matters that should be public knowledge to the fans who follow the sport and pay the money to support it.
The time is long overdue for the PGA Tour to show some transparency in its business of suspending players who have violated Tour policy, whether by testing positive for drugs — which Dustin Johnson has for the third time according to a source — or some other indiscretion, such as the various off-the-course conduct issues John Daly has had over the years.
It is an insult to the legions of golf fans who are responsible for boosting the tournament purses that pay the players these astronomical paychecks each week — not just for winning but for finishing tied for 30th — not to mention line the pockets of the suits inside the plush offices at PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra, Fla., with enough money to pay for oceanfront mansions and country-club dues.
Every other major sport in America has the respect and decency to announce suspensions of its athletes, making it public to the fans who support their respective sports. The fans who pay the money to see these players deserve that.
The PGA Tour ignores it, and that’s wrong. It’s disrespectful. And it needs to stop.
The NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL all deal with suspensions in different ways, but there is one common thread that weaves through their policies: If a player is suspended, the league announces it.
Baseball, for example, not only announces suspensions, it reveals the banned drug that caused the suspension. It does this not only with its star players but its lesser-knowns, too.
Take Friday, for example, when this release came directly from the MLB office regarding a player who had received a suspension:
“The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Milwaukee Brewers Minor League right-handed pitcher Mark Williams has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for an Amphetamine in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Williams, who is currently on the roster of the Single-A Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League, is effective immediately.’’
A source familiar with the PGA Tour’s policies told The Post on Friday that Tour commissioner Tim Finchem is highly protective of the brand and this is why the Tour opts to keep everything in-house. It is understandable Finchem does not want news out on every small slap on the wrist of one of the Tour players to become public and jade the rest of his product.
But here is something he should consider: Making player suspensions for violation of its substance-abuse policy public might actually play at least a small part in deterring such behavior going forward. Because the way it is done now allows a player to avoid the embarrassment of the public knowing he was suspended.
We’re not asking the PGA Tour to violate confidentiality rights of its players. The NFL, for example, announces the suspension, but does not divulge the drug or specific violation. Same for the NHL.
So we’re not asking for full disclosure from the PGA Tour, but some disclosure is necessary. It’s the right thing to do for the fans, who are supposed to be the most important part driving the PGA Tour.