Phil Mickelson was not happy with the city of Detroit earlier this week.
The star golfer, who is a couple of weeks removed from his win at the PGA Championship, threatened to never return to the city of Detroit, which is hosting this weekend’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Mickelson was upset with a story published by The Detroit News. The story focused on 2007 federal court records it had obtained, which detailed how a bookie from Grosse Point, Michigan, had allegedly cheated Mickelson out of $500,000. Mickelson never faced any criminal charges in the case.
“Usually when a neg piece is printed,I let it go,it’s gone in a day and I just don’t return.This week I called out RobSnell for a 23 year old story that he sat on for 3 years?Or a month?because his self-centered opportunism undermines many people here in Det trying to help others,” Mickelson tweeted.
Usually when a neg piece is printed,I let it go,it’s gone in a day and I just don’t return.This week I called out RobSnell for a 23 year old story that he sat on for 3 years?Or a month?because his self-centered opportunism undermines many people here in Det trying to help others.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) July 3, 2021
Mickelson threatened to never play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic again. However, he since took those comments back, with two conditions.
“If he can get to 50,000 and all of those 50,000 agree to do one random act of kindness for another member of the community, I’m in,” Mickelson said.
Phil Mickelson had more to say about returning to the @RocketClassic and Detroit. He saw @mikesullivan‘s petition.
“If he can get to 50,000 and all of those 50,000 agree to do one random act of kindness for another member of the community, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐢𝐧,” @PhilMickelson said. pic.twitter.com/a1C7UFO5ov
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 2, 2021
Unsurprisingly, fans have backed Mickelson this week.
Phil Mickelson was just on the second tee box when someone yelled: “The media sucks, Phil, we love you!”
The crowd roared and Phil started laughing.
— Mike Sullivan (@MikeSullivan) July 2, 2021
USA TODAY’s Eamon Lynch, meanwhile, was critical of Mickelson:
The events revealed by the Detroit News are old, but that doesn’t make it old news. The details had not previously been reported, and it’s indisputably news when a famous athlete is taken for a half-million by a shady gambler. Nevertheless, Mickelson’s outrage found predictable support among those social media lickspittles who are always eager to be seen by celebrities as loyal supplicants, pitiably slobbering for a like, retweet or (praise be!) a reply.
Mickelson has every right to object to coverage he considers unfair, but underlying his response is a troubling expectation that media must function as cheerleaders when the Tour comes to town, and that failure to do so—by writing unflattering stories about him, for example—hurts the event and its charitable beneficiaries. Conflating his embarrassment with damage to the Rocket Mortgage Classic is preposterous, and accusing a reporter of deliberately hurting citizens in a deprived city by denying them the pleasure of his presence is bush league nonsense.
Mickelson didn’t have a great weekend in Detroit, anyway. He’s -3 for the tournament and tied for 75th place.
The final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic will air on CBS this afternoon.
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