Throughout his broadcast career spanning ESPN, NBC, ABC, CBS and a host of radio networks, Jim Gray has become a frequent lightning rod for controversy. For whatever reason, he just seems to be around when major events happen. He conducted the famous Mike Tyson interview in which the boxer threatened to eat Lennox Lewis’ children. He was widely criticized for his handling of the Pete Rose All-Century interview where he repeatedly asked the banned baseball player about betting on the sport. Just last year, he was the man LeBron James handpicked to head the ill-fated Decision. Now he’s made news again after getting into a bitter argument with golfer Dustin Johnson’s caddy.
According to USA Today, Johnson was penalized two strokes after failing to make his appointed tee time. His caddy, Bobby Brown, took responsibility for the mishap, but after Jim Gray asked Johnson about the mistake mid-round, the sportscaster was hit with a barrage of profanity and insults from Brown. In response, The Golf Channel has decided to pull Jim Gray for the rest of the event, and the network has been noncommittal on whether it would use him for future events.
Justifying the decision, a network spokesman said, "Our aim is to provide the best possible golf coverage for our viewers. Anything else is a disservice. In order not to provide further distraction, we've decided to remove Jim from this particular assignment."
