Gene Frenette: PGA Tour, Jay Monahan at crossroads with Rahm headed to LIV, legal issues pending
The ominous clouds forming over the PGA Tour in the past year may be about to come to a head, and there’s no guarantee commissioner Jay Monahan will survive the impending storm.
Golf is one hot mess right now. It appears an American golf institution based in Ponte Vedra Beach is in trouble, and players are uncertain whether Monahan can repair the damage.
Between another major star in Jon Rahm changing his mind and taking a reported $500 million to defect to LIV — plus the deadline for the Tour reaching a framework agreement with the Saudi-based Public Investment Fund a little over two weeks away — there’s no telling what golf’s divided house will look like in the coming weeks or years.
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December is usually a time of year when the sport goes into semi-hibernation. Instead, golf is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Tour is treading water because many players distrust leadership, especially since the Tour formed a clandestine agreement with PIF on June 6 that blindsided its membership.
More trouble became evident this week when reports surfaced that the law firm Susman Godfrey sent a letter to the PGA Tour Policy Board on behalf of 21 rank-and-file players, demanding “full disclosure” about any prospective partnerships it makes with U.S. capital investors.
It was no coincidence this letter happened on the same day the Tour announced it “selected an outside investment group to further negotiate with.” Since only five of the players named in the litigation are ranked in the top 200, many fans and media lampooned the development, but the truth is the optics don’t look good for the Tour or Monahan.
With Rahm joining the likes of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith and Phil Mickelson in the LIV ranks, it only reinforces the perception about the security of the Tour’s future, especially with Tiger Woods seemingly on his last legs as a legit contender.
All signs point to Monahan being in a dogfight to hang on to his position. With player distrust in his leadership continuing to erode, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do to offset the momentum building against the Tour.
Will Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan close the deal on a framework agreement or might it collapse due to so much upheaval and unresolved legal issues?
The shame of all this is any hope golf fans had of seeing all the top players compete against each other, at least outside of the four majors, is likely gone for 2024.
Stay tuned. There are probably more twists and turns to come from LIV and the Tour. Where this all ends up is pure conjecture.
One thing is certain: the Tour has lost some muscle and it may take a miracle to regain the trust of its players.
Pass interference flags are Jaguars’ ally
One of the most overlooked stats in the Jaguars’ first-place AFC South standing has been their ability to draw pass interference penalties and avoid picking them up.
The Jaguars receiving corps lead the NFL with 16 pass interference penalties for 273 yards enforced against opponents, led by Calvin Ridley with seven for 129 yards. The Jaguars have turned those P.I. flags into 68 points.
Only four other teams are in double digits at drawing pass interference flags, with the Dallas Cowboys the closest at 14.
On the defensive side, the Jaguars have been penalized an NFL-low two times all season for pass interference, one of which was declined. The only enforced P.I. was a 32-yarder on linebacker Foye Oluokun against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jaguars have a phenomenal +15 margin on enforced P.I. penalties, a crazy advantage that can be the difference between winning and losing games. The closest teams to the Jaguars in P.I. margin are the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh and Dallas at +5 each.
Napier better score with portal
Florida football coach Billy Napier has less than three weeks until the transfer portal window closes. If he doesn’t add substantially to his current top-10 recruiting class by bringing in players who can help immediately, especially across both lines, Napier may not be around long enough to truly revive the Gators’ stagnant program.
Already, 16 UF players have put their names in the portal, including standout running back Trevor Etienne and Princely Umanmielen, the Gators’ top pass-rusher the past two seasons.
Despite having a decent nucleus of young players and a strong incoming class led by quarterback DJ Lagway, there’s a lack of proven experience to make the kind of improvement Napier will need to last beyond 2024.
The Gators must acquire more talent if they expect to go even 7-5 next season, given the SEC schedule that kicks out Vanderbilt and South Carolina for Texas and Ole Miss, plus a nonconference slate that includes Miami, UCF and Florida State.
“We’re in the process of rebuilding the roster,” Napier said after a season-ending loss to FSU. “We’re in the process of learning how to make it work at the University of Florida. We were brought here for a reason.
“There’s no denying that we have work to do, but I think what gives me confidence is what I see from the players, the growth I see, their words, their actions, the way they work, the selflessness, the sacrifice, their investment.”
All that coach-speak sounds good, but the reality is Florida likely won’t be enjoying its first winning season under Napier in 2024 without a sizable boost from the transfer portal. Alabama on Friday is hosting Texas A&M’s Fadil Diggs, who had four sacks against the Crimson Tide the past two seasons and is considered the No. 4 edge rusher in the portal.
Diggs is precisely the kind of transfer prospect Florida needs to bring immediate help for a young roster. Napier’s greatest strength is thought to be his recruiting acumen, and he better make use of it quickly if he expects to keep his job.
Herbstreit should let FSU wrath go
It’s been nearly two weeks since unbeaten Florida State was royally jobbed out of the College Football Playoff by the CFP selection committee, which repeatedly used quarterback Jordan Travis’ injury as the reason for its exclusion.
After the decision where SEC champion Alabama got in at FSU’s expense, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit went on the defensive over criticism from Seminoles’ fans, who believe he’s been disingenuous in saying how badly he feels for their team.
Herbstreit isn’t a bad guy, but he didn’t do himself any favors by firing back at FSU fans for their insistence that his pre-selection opinion about Travis’ injury not making the Seminoles one of the four best teams influenced the outcome.
“When they b---- and complain, they don’t like facts,” said Herbstreit on ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show. “They don’t like information. They like conspiracy theories.”
Herbie should have let that go. Just accept the fact FSU fans understandably feel jilted and aren’t going to forget how he opined on a major media platform against their team making the CFP field.
FSU should reserve most of its wrath for the CFP committee members. But Herbstreit must understand that because he works for an ESPN network tightly connected with the SEC, it’s natural for fans to blame him in part for their team’s exclusion. Firing back at them only makes Herbstreit look like a whiner.
Quick-hitting nuggets
Seeing a respected and veteran NFL coach like Andy Reid complaining as he did about the offsides call on receiver Kadarius Toney, which nullified a go-ahead touchdown for the Kansas City Chiefs against the Buffalo Bills, was surprising. Then for Reid to say it was “an embarrassment” for the NFL was way over the top. While offensive offsides is seldom called, there’s no dispute the front part of Toney’s shoe was over the line. Stop insisting the official should have given Toney a warning. It’s the player’s responsibility to check with the down judge to make sure he’s not offside. That was a terrible look for the Chiefs, not the NFL. . . .
Nobody looks forward more to seeing the Houston Texans defense than Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry. In his last five games against Houston, the Yulee High product has four 200-yard games, 10 rushing TDs, 1,018 rushing yards and a per-carry average of 7.1 yards. Two of Tennessee’s last four games, including Sunday, are against the Texans. . . .
Florida state attorney general Ashley Moody launching an investigation into how the College Football Playoff committee arrived at its decision to exclude Florida State feels more like a waste of time than something that will lead to meaningful change. If Mike Norvell and his FSU players can move on, it seems like politicians with bigger fish to fry should do the same. . . .
My Heisman Trophy ballot: 1. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels; 2. Washington QB Michael Penix; 3. Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. Not only is Daniels the better player and a more unique talent, but he played against much tougher defenses overall than his nearest competitors, averaging a No. 39 national ranking overall. The defenses going against Oregon QB Bo Nix, who finished third, had a No. 89 average. Heisman runner-up Penix went against defenses with an average rank of 65. The quality of competition Heisman candidates face should factor into voting.
Pigskin forecast: Jaguars over Baltimore Ravens by 3 (Lamar Jackson containers); Indianapolis Colts over Pittsburgh Steelers by 1 (playoff elimination consequence); Tennessee Titans over Houston Texans by 3 (Henry highlights); Dallas Cowboys over Buffalo Bills by (7 Dak Prescott MVP ballots); Cincinnati Bengals over Minnesota Vikings by 1 (AFC wild-card reservation); Miami Dolphins over New York Jets by 3 (Tua tourniquets); Kansas City Chiefs over New England Patriots by 7 (get-well cards). Last week: 4 right, 3 Draymond Green sucker punches.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: House divided -- Jay Monahan, PGA Tour struggling to unite with LIV Golf
