Tiger Woods' former swing coach accuses PGA Tour of playing role in firing from radio show
Hank Haney, the former swing coach for Tiger Woods who was fired from SiriusXM for making disparaging remarks during his radio show in June, claimed the PGA Tour played a role in his dismissal.
Haney filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday, claiming the organization “improperly intimidated, enticed and threatened SiriusXM Radio to suspend and ultimately terminate” his SiriusXM radio show. Haney accuses the tour of wanting to “settle an old score relating to professional golfer Tiger Woods,” according to ESPN.
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Haney was suspended in May for remarks he made prior to the start of the U.S. Women’s Open. Haney predicted a Korean would win the major and would go with a “Lee” to win if he wasn’t pressed to identify a female golfer on the tour.
Haney was fired over the summer for comments he made about Korean female golfers. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
He initially defended his comments but later apologized.
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“This morning I made some comments about women’s golf and its players that were insensitive and that I regret. 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,” Haney wrote. “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 received criticism from Michelle Wie and Woods over his remarks.
The former coach claimed in the lawsuit that the firing him cost him millions in advertising revenue. He is seeking an undisclosed amount of compensatory and punitive damages, according to TMZ Sports.
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Haney coached Woods from 2004 to 2010. Woods won six major titles during that span.
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The PGA Tour didn’t comment on the lawsuit.