Fox News Flash top sports headlines for June 9
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9/11 Families United Chairperson Terry Strada spoke out against LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau on Friday following comments he made during an interview this week when he seemingly suggested that those impacted by the terrorist attacks find a pathway toward "forgiveness."
In an interview with CNN discussing the landmark merger of the PGA Tour, Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the DP World Tour, DeChambeau was asked about 9/11 Families United’s initial statement accusing Commissioner Jay Monahan and the Tour of becoming "paid Saudi shills" and his response to them.
Bryson DeChambeau of the United States watches his shot from the fourth tee during the first round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 18, 2023, in Rochester, New York. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
"Well, I think we’ll never be able to repay the families back for what exactly happened just over 20 years ago, and what happened is definitely horrible," the 2020 U.S. Open champion began, adding that "we’re in a place now where it’s time to start trying to work together to make things better together as a whole."
"I have deep sympathy – I don’t know exactly what they’re feeling. I can’t ever know what they feel, but I have a huge amount of respect for their position and what they believe," he continued.
"Nor do I ever want anything like that to ever occur again. I think as we move forward from that, we’ve gotta look towards a pathway to peace, especially – and forgiveness, especially if we’re trying to mend the world and make it a better place. I think this what they’re trying to accomplish – LIV is trying to accomplish, the PIF is trying to accomplish, we’re all trying to accomplish is a better world for everybody and a way to provide great entertainment for everybody around the world."
Bryson DeChambeau looks at his club after hitting his tee shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational-Chicago tournament Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, in Sugar Hill, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
But Strada, whose husband died during the 9/11 attacks, fired back in a statement emailed to Fox News Digital.
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"Bryson is either completely unaware of the Saudi’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks, purposefully ignorant, or falling in line with what his wealthy paymasters from the Kingdom have commanded him to do . . . spew their talking points.
"The more important question which he overlooks is how are we supposed to ‘forgive’ an autocratic government which for more than 20 years has fought transparency and accountability every step of the way and still refuses to take any responsibility? In Bryson’s view, the families and survivors of 9/11 should simply just look away and forget? All the families have suffered immeasurable pain and loss when our loved ones were brutally murdered on 9/11 including my youngest son who was a few days old when his father, and my husband, was murdered in the World Trade Center.
"Unlike Bryson, his other LIV teammates and now the PGA Tour, we will never forget and we will continue to fight for accountability and transparency when it comes to Saudi government involvement in 9/11."
Terry Strada (C), who lost her husband, Tom Strada, stands with others who lost loved ones in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, listens during a press conference about the September 11th Transparency Act on Capitol Hill August 5, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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The PGA Tour announced Tuesday, after more than a year of division, that it would be merging the PIF’s golf-related businesses, which include LIV Golf, with that of the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour into a "new, collectively owned, for-profit entity" and will also include a "capital investment" from the PIF.
In an appearance on "America's Newsroom" Tuesday, Strada accused Monahan of using their stories "to malign LIV Golf."
"He used our stories, our pain and our suffering to malign LIV Golf a year ago, and now he does this complete 180 and has decided that he’s going to give them this bigger platform for their sportswashing entity, which he has said over the last year many times that that’s exactly what LIV Golf is."