Mainstream media was shaken today when news broke that professional American golfer Tiger Woods had been in a serious vehicle crash and had to be rushed to the hospital to treat his serious leg injuries.
This is a serious situation but somehow the media still finds a way to push the envelope just a little too far.
CNN sports anchor Andy Scholes was forced to walk back remarks he made on air Tuesday after golf star Tiger Woods was injured in a car wreck.
Scholes appeared on the cable network to weigh in on the accident shortly after news broke that a car driven by Woods had tumbled off a steep road in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. With little information available about the accident, Scholes speculated that the sports legend’s past use of painkillers may have had something to do with the accident
“What are your thoughts right now?” CNN anchor Brianna Keilar asked Scholes.
“I mean, Brianna, you know, stunned I guess but not entirely surprised by what we’re seeing here,” he answered. “You know, Tiger in 2017 was found by police pulled over on the side of the road asleep in his car. He had said he had taken a lot of painkillers at that time, because we all know Tiger has gone under a lot of surgeries over the years and painkillers have become part of his life.”
Social media users quickly pounced Scholes and tore him to shreds.
Scholes’ comments led to backlash on social media, causing the CNN personality to offer multiple apologies. Authorities said during a press conference that they found “no evidence of impairment” in their initial investigation of the accident
“I’m sorry. This was delivered poorly,” he told one Twitter user.
In response to another critic who accused him of being “completely insensitive,” Scholes said he “didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”
Sadly, the rude comment was truly just a risk of the job, as CNN would be nothing without controversy.
