COUNTERPOINT: Ralph Lauren had No Choice but to Fire Justin Thomas

Our Golficity friends, Jeremy Duran and Riley Hamel, known as The Style Guys, made an impassioned video about their dismay over Justin Thomas losing his endorsement with Ralph Lauren.

Here’s the problem, guys: Ralph Lauren didn’t fire Justin Thomas. JT fired himself when dropped that homophobic slur.

I’m a businessman. Not only do I manage a company’s regional market properties as the top executive in charge, but I also own a communications and voiceover company.

If someone on the mic on one of my channels opened their mouths and uttered the phrase Justin Thomas said, they’d face his fate.

Why? Because words like this spewed by JT are not accidental. I’m in my mid-40’s and I’ve made my mistakes with my born in Philly mouth on more than one occasion, just never to this type of slander at all (no matter his intention). I wasn’t a saint in my day but I also didn’t ever “go there.”

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If that word flew from Justin’s mouth that easy, no matter if under his breath or not, that means the word is way too omnipresent in his vocabulary. Honestly, with my knowledge of high powered mics, there was a good chance his homophobic slur would’ve still been picked up by a nearby parabolic or shotgun microphone with a gallery reacting to watching him putt. 

No one says words like Justin Thomas used unless they say that word often. Full stop.

For what it’s worth, it really does look like Justin has taken a long hard look at himself, and seemingly did so almost immediately. Unlike the “I’m sorry if you were offended” tripe we often see from athletes or celebrities trying to “do right” after a huge screw up (Scott Piercy comes to mind), Thomas actually made an authentic apology. He fell on the sword to say that is all my fault, that’s not me, and he was embarrassed to the utmost degree with his cavalier tongue.

And in the end, the six-letter homophobic slur blurted by JT is in fact no different in its level of high offense than another six-letter word thrown about persons of color, or for that matter any other heavily offensive terms used against women, other races, religions, you name it.

What is often missed here is Ralph Lauren didn’t slam the door shut. Their statement in ending their partnership was really put out to say we won’t work with him now or in the immediate future, but the door is still open to come back together should JT show he’s not what he sounded like in that one-second of pure whatever you want to call it. Justin’s authentic apology may have actually saved this relationship down the line.

Was Justin Thomas trying to offend anyone? Hell no. 

Does that matter when he said what he said? Hell no. 

Did JT fire himself from his deal with Ralph Lauren? Hell yes.

Will Justin get another shot at a clothing sponsor down the road? Most likely, and given their memo to the press, it might just be Ralph Lauren again.

Justin Thomas will be just fine in the end because he did his most right when he did his most wrong. Justin gets it, he isn’t debating this, he’s not fighting it, and he’s taking his medicine like a grown man because he needs to, and he knows this. 

Those lambasting Ralph Lauren for dropping JT from their roster, including Justin & Riley, need to realize this important fact.

Also J & R: next drink in the clubhouse is on me.

Cover Image via Instagram