At least three sponsors have cut ties with PGA Tour golfer Scott Piercy in the wake of his homophobic Instagram post regarding former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
Piercy apologized Tuesday after sharing a meme responding to Buttigieg's decision to drop out of the race, saying “Peter Pulls Out Early From Behind.” The meme featured Pepe the Frog, the cartoon character co-opted as an icon by the alt-right, reading a news script for “QNN” about Buttigieg. In a separate post, Pearcy revealed himself to be a follower of QAnon, the alt-right conspiracy theory involving a “deep state” plot against the government which the FBI has classified as a possible source of domestic terrorism.
Despite Piercy's apology, Golf.com reports that Acushnet, which owns Titleist and FootJoy, and Scandinavian fashion brand J.Lindeberg have cut ties with Piercy.
“As a global lifestyle brand, we strive to support and show our love and compassion for all demographics around the world,” J.Lindeberg said in a statement. “When we choose our ambassadors, we choose individuals we know will represent us well on and off the golf course. The claims from Scott Piercy were unacceptable and far from our views and beliefs. We have since terminated our contract with Mr. Piercy.”
“We, J.Lindeberg, as a company do not stand by the statements made by Piercy and we want to make sure our customers, employees, and other ambassadors know we support all communities and have no room for hate or discrimination in our company.”
ESPN notes that Piercy could also face discipline from the PGA Tour, which said in statements that it is “disappointed in the lack of judgment used” and that “it has been addressed with Scott directly.”
