As Long As Tiger Wasn’t Having Sex With Asian Factory Workers, Nike’s Phil Knight Appears To Be Cool With It
Phil Knight, the co-founder and chairman of Nike, sat down recently with Sports Business Journal’s oddly-named Tripp Mickle prior to being honored as a National Football Foundation’s 2009 Gold Medal recipient in New York. The interview was about the sports marketing business in general, but Knight did have one interesting answer in response to a question regarding Tiger Woods, because hey, why wouldn’t an interviewer ask a person about their thoughts on Tiger Woods? I believe media types are now required by law to ask everyone they interview about the Tiger Woods situation.
SBJ: With Tiger, a person who was believed to be of more upstanding character beforehand, is it possible to check for everything?
Knight: Obviously, he was one we checked out and he came out clean, and I think he’s been really great. When his career is over, you’ll look back on these indiscretions as a minor blip, but the media is making a big deal out of it right now.
Minor blip, eh? Boy, if that’s the case, I don’t even want to know what Knight would consider a “major blip.” Maybe releasing a nerve toxin into the world’s water supply? Oh, I know what it would be: anthrax. That seems to be right up Tiger’s alley. Of course, Tiger would blame it on Tripp Mickle. And with a name like that, who wouldn’t believe him?
Nike’s Phil Knight tells SBJ: Tiger’s indiscretions just ‘minor blip’ [Sporting News]