PGA golfer Justin Thomas will voluntarily be undergoing an individual sensitivity training program to become a “better person.” Last month, Thomas was picked up by his microphone on live TV using a homophobic slur. Thomas missed a putt and used the slur to refer to his failure to score the putt.
The golfer expressed remorse afterward and told the interviewer that it was “humiliating and embarrassing and it’s not me.”
Ralph Lauren ended their sponsorship with the golfer because of the incident. The clothing brand was a long-time sponsor of the golfer since he turned pro. The brand was “disheartened” by the slur used, and made a decision to end their association because of their responsibility to their shareholders.
The 27-year-old golfer said in response, “I’m not disappointed because I put them in a terrible position. I was just more upset. I spoke with them, along with all my sponsors, and although I apologized, just like it was then it’s an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something we could have done together and gone through that process.”
Thomas said he hoped to grow as a result of the program. “I’m doing what I’d like to keep internally and just go through the appropriate steps to get where I need to be and want to be, so people understand that’s not the person I am, the character I like to portray,” Thomas said.
