Jim Gray yanked from Golf Channel's Northern Trust coverage

Jim Gray has been “removed” from the Golf Channel’s coverage of the Northern Trust Open in Pacific Palisades, Calif. this week, according to network spokesman Dan Higgins. Gray apparently got into an argument with golfer Dustin Johnson‘s caddie Bobby Brown at Riviera Country Club on Thursday. The trouble started when Johnson incurred a two-stroke penalty after nearly missing his tee time, a mistake which Brown blamed on himself. Gray went out on the course to interview Johnson about the blunder in the middle of his round. Brown objected. After Johnson carded a first round 73, Brown and Gray argued over the matter. “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,” Higgins said Friday. The Golf Channel was non-committal on whether it will use the freelance Gray again after his second altercation in less than a year. The network declined a request to interview Gray. Gray got into an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin in August that was witnessed by USA TODAY golf reporter Steve DiMeglio. Pavin told DiMeglio that Gray stuck his finger in his face and said, “You’re a liar,” and “You’re going down,” after Pavin disputed Gray’s report about Tiger Woods’ selection to the team. Will Golf Channel hire Gray again? Higgins wouldn’t say yes or no. “Any further discussion of this is an internal matter,” he said. The news marks another controversy for the award-winning Gray, who has interviewed many famous sports figures over his career while working for networks such as ESPN, CBS, NBC and Showtime. He served as LeBron James’ handpicked interviewer for ESPN’s critically- panned TV special, The Decision, in July. Sports TV columnist Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated called The Decision the worst thing ESPN ever put on its air. He wrote Gray “defied logic, reason, drama and journalism” by inexplicably asking James 16 preliminary questions over six minutes (including whether he bites his nails), before finally getting to the only one that mattered: what team would he sign with this season. Gray’s interview with Pete Rose during the 1999 World Series drew an ugly reaction when many fans and critics thought he badgered Rose about his ban from baseball. Gray scored a phone interview with Ron Artest after the infamous Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004. During a post-fight interview on Showtime in 2000, Mike Tyson told Gray he wanted to “eat” heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis’ children. See photos of: PGA Tour, Dustin Johnson]]]]> ]]>

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