Third ranked golfer in the world Justin Thomas had to apologize to the golf community because microphones picked up him using an anti-gay slur. During the Sentry Championship in Hawaii, microphones could hear Thomas use the f-word slur after missing a par putt. Right after the round Justin Thomas in an interview said “I mean, there’s no excuse. I’m an adult. I’m a grown man, there’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that.”

Now, if a highly professional and popular athlete should say such insulting words, should there not be a consequence? Many can argue that using slurs is a part of ‘free speech’, or that the word Justin Thomas used wasn’t offensive at all. Others can argue that any homophobic incidents should not be accepted. 

Even if Thomas apologized and didn’t mean to say the slur, this can still degrade and hurt people. Researchers have found that athletes engage in apologetic behaviours more often when in public than when in private, and this could be a reason as to why Thomas apologized right away. This can relate to Justin Thomas’ case because he may have rather apologized right away then get even more backlash from not apologizing. To fix his mistake, Thomas said that he intends to enroll in a training program, to prove to himself, his sponsors, and fans that this fault of his does not reflect the kind of person he is.

The only severe penalty Thomas got was losing his long time sponsorship with Ralph Lauren who, in a statement, said ‘his actions conflict with the inclusive culture that we strive to uphold’. As of the writing of this entry, Justin Thomas has yet to be fined for his unacceptable language and he continued the tour. 

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Featured Image:  Justin Thomas (Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)