One of the odder friendships of the sporting world has ended, sadly.
Charles Barkley says he and Tiger Woods are no longer friends despite being fairly close during Woods’ run as a top golfer.
Barkley was co-hosting with Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly on Friday and was asked by a caller if he’s still friends with Tiger.
“We’re not friends anymore,” Barkley answered.
Missanelli, who says he does not like Tiger, believes the golfer removes himself from society. Barkley then gave some insight about Tiger’s personality.
“Well I think that when you’re as great as he has been, and this probably is a negative at some point, like he was so consumed with being the greatest golfer ever, he wasn’t a very sociable guy. Even when was a friend of mine, he wasn’t a very sociable guy. He just had a one-track mind. He just wanted to break Jack Nicklaus’ record.”
[Previously – Charles Barkley: I wish I could put some of my blackness in Tiger Woods]
Barkley then explained what he thinks Tiger needs to consider.
“Golf is just a game. Your life don’t suck. … But I think when you put yourself in that situation where your whole life revolves around how you’re doing on a golf course, you’re gonna develop a negative attitude to a certain degree, instead of saying, ‘I’ve actually got it pretty good.’ It’s like people who say I never won a championship. I understand that. I accept that. But it ain’t like I’m sitting around saying, ‘Oh my God, my life sucks. This is so miserable.”
The friendship between Barkley and Tiger may have ended in 2009, around the time of Tiger’s sex scandal. In 2011, Chuck told Mike Lupica that he hadn’t spoken with Tiger in two years.
“You think you’re friends with a guy. You talk to him once a week for 15 years. You’re like, this dude is my friend, we do things, we have fun together,” Barkley said at the time. “I haven’t talked to him in two years and I’m wondering what the hell is going on.”
Barkley also dismissed the notion that he and Michael Jordan corrupted Tiger, saying that they had no idea Woods was cheating on his wife.
It may be old news that the two are no longer friends, but these comments sure were interesting. Now, whenever a Tiger fan laments his struggles since the sex scandal, you need to say that he’s not only missing all the women, but his good pals Chuck and MJ.
Transcription via Golf Channel
