SI's Pat Forde Contradicts Himself In Embarrassing Faux-Outrage Column About Scottie Scheffler's Arrest
Over the years, there has been this odd yet noticeable shift among sports writers in which many in the profession don't seem to actually enjoy or appreciate sports. This trend was magnified during the peak of the pandemic when many holier-than-thou sports writers worked tirelessly to make sure the sports world was shut down entirely, and many haven't managed to step back into reality.
Nobody may represent the anti-sports sports writer beat than longtime columnist Pat Forde, and he proudly waved his party's flag following Scottie Scheffler's arrest before the start of the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler playing his second round at the PGA Championship after being arrested enraged Pat Forde. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Forde elected to write a column for Sports Illustrated that focused on the tragedy where a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside the gates of Valhalla about an hour before Scheffler was eventually thrown in the back of a cop car.
Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, which is a felony, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. He was released by authorities and arrived at Valhalla less than an hour before his Friday morning tee time.
As expected, the entitled sports writer took issue with everything, all of it.
Scottie Scheffler managed to make his second round tee time after being arrested in Louisville. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde Misses The Point
Forde, a Louisville resident, notes that the tragic accident could have been avoided and that the area around Valhalla Golf Club is anything but friendly for everyone involved in the tournament. He bizarrely insinuated that a tragic accident like this was bound to happen sooner rather than later, but his overall point is more than fair.
"Combining that traffic with the number of people on foot in an area not suited for pedestrians, and what happened Friday is not completely shocking," Forde wrote.
He then turned his attention to Scheffler and the reaction to his arrest, which is exactly when he lost the plot entirely while simultaneously contradicting himself.
None of this should come as a surprise, however, if you recall this is a sports writer who doesn't like sports we're talking about. Scheffler is the professional athlete in this equation, so he must be ridiculed in every possible way.
"Scheffler returned to the course at approximately 9:10 a.m. And here’s where the situation got even stranger," Forde wrote.
What Forde actually meant was ‘here’s where I got really frustrated and couldn't form logical thoughts anymore.' He couldn't fathom that Scheffler was allowed back on the grounds and begin his second round of the PGA Championship.
"The PGA of America basically rolled out the red carpet for Scheffler’s return to the site of where he was arrested and ultimately charged with felony assault of a police officer," Forde wrote. "Imagine any other athlete getting busted, then being sent out to compete four hours later—with the apparent blessing of all involved parties. A police escort back to the scene of an alleged assault of a police officer?"
Someone reading that paragraph without context or knowledge about the situation could think Scheffler hit a police officer, got away with it, and arrived back at the course in a scene that mirrored a royal wedding.
Forde Article Goes Astray
We can't ignore the obvious connotation Forde is insinuating when he writes "imagine any other athlete getting busted" and being allowed to compete hours later. This is him saying ‘imagine if this was a black or minority athlete’ without actually saying it.
"How does Louisville Metro Police feel about the extraordinary privilege bestowed upon a star golfer? How do other athletes feel who have been treated far more harshly by the leaders of their sport after brushes with the law," Forde continued.
"A large percentage of the fans clearly don’t care. They cheered for Scheffler and chanted his name when he took to the 10th tee to start his round in a steady rain. They shouted their approval when he delivered a great second shot out of the rough."
To accompany his column that was published to make anyone reacting to Scheffler's arrest feel like a terrible human being, he fired off a post on X, formerly Twitter, to drive home the point. This is where the contradiction comes into play.
Nobody delivers a condescending tone like Mr. Forde delivers a condescending tone.
X/ByPatForde
Forde not-so-subtly telling anyone who reacted to Scheffler's news with more emphasis than the tragedy that took place was in the wrong would be fine if he weren't one of those people.
At 6:54 AM ET, Forde fired off two posts, with the first one being a reaction to Scheffler being detained before reacting to the news of the man being killed by a shuttle bus by simply writing "oh no."
X/ByPatForde
X/ByPatForde
Given his condescending post about how everyone was focused more on Scheffler's arrest than the person's tragic death, one would imagine Forde would have focused on the tragedy more than the golfer being arrested, but that wasn't the case.
Between the almost four hours between his post reacting to Scheffler's detainment and sharing his column, the only post Forde made about the tragedy was his two-word "oh no" reaction. That was it. He did make time to share eight more Scheffler-focused posts, however.
It's almost as if Pat Forde is a member of the ‘do as I say, not as I do’ crowd. Who would have ever imagined that?