Justin Thomas is well known for his outspoken nature, which occasionally gets him into serious trouble. After using a homophobic slur at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the American golfer lost his contract with Ralph Lauren in 2021.
During the third round of the competition, Thomas’ comment was recorded via microphone after which the clothing company ended its contract with the golfer.
The 29-year-old golfer later expressed regret, but the company stood by its decision. In one of his interviews in 2021, Justin Thomas said (via The Guardian):
“Obviously I was upset. But at the end of the day, they have that right. They had to make the decision. I spoke with them along with all my sponsors. Although I apologised, it was then; it’s an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something we could have done together and gone through that process. They just felt like they needed to move on. That’s exactly what I’m doing, as well.”
“Just like my other partners and other sponsorships, it’s an opportunity for them to help me just like I hope to help them,” Thomas continued. “But like I said, they had to do what they had to do. They are a huge, huge global brand and I have to respect their decision.”
“Like I said, I wasn’t disappointed, because I put them in a terrible position. I just was more upset. I had a great relationship with a lot of people there and we would have had the opportunity to do it together. I totally respect their decision and I’ve moved on from it,” he added.
Justin Thomas collaborated with Ralph Lauren in June 2019 and worked with them for almost two years.
Tiger Woods pulled out a controversial prank on Justin Thomas
Earlier this year, Justin Thomas again landed in hot water after his close friend Tiger Woods was photographed slipping a female hygienic product into his hand.
Tiger and Thomas played together at the Genesis Invitational Open when the former pulled out a tampon from his pocket and slipped it into the latter’s hands.
The practical joke that Tiger and Thomas probably thought was harmless had sparked a huge online debate. Fans criticized the legendary American golfer for his obscene practical joke.
Later, the 47-year-old golfer regretted his behaviour, claiming that his objective was not to offend anyone’s beliefs. Tiger Woods stated (via BBC):
“It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way. If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry.”
“It was not intended to be that way. We play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was, it’s different,” he added.
However, Justin Thomas kept mum on the topic and avoided questions.