The East Tennessee State University men’s golf team dealt with an unfortunate situation this week as they prepare for the NCAA Championships, and the airline that was responsible has since apologized.
On Tuesday, the ETSU men’s golf team shared a video on social media that showed Delta Airlines employees offloading several golf bags from the team’s flight. The clubs were being carelessly thrown around and slammed to the ground.
The clip went viral and had been viewed more than 8 million times as of Thursday morning.
“Nice of @Delta to handle our clubs with such care…” the person in charge of ETSU’s X account wrote.
Nice of @Delta to handle our clubs with such care… pic.twitter.com/5tcIivt9dy
— ETSU Men’s Golf (@ETSU_MGolf) May 22, 2024
Delta replied to the video with an apology via social media.
“We’re so sorry this is how your golf clubs were handled. It’s not who we are. And we’re working to make it right, so you’ll have everything you need to compete at the tournament this weekend,” the person running the Delta account wrote.
We’re so sorry this is how your golf clubs were handled. It’s not who we are. And we’re working to make it right, so you'll have everything you need to compete at the tournament this weekend.
— Delta (@Delta) May 22, 2024
Anthony Black, a spokesperson for Delta Airlines, also issued a statement addressing the situation.
“We apologize to the ETSU Golf team and ask for a mulligan on how their equipment was handled,” Black said, via WJHL. “We’re in direct contact with the Bucs to ensure they have what they need to successfully compete in the NCAAs.
ETSU Athletic Director Richard Sander said some golf bags were damaged, but fortunately there was no damage to clubs. Sander said the team “feels good” about the response it has received from Delta.
ETSU won the Southern Conference and advanced through the NCAA Regionals to the NCAA Championships, which are being held in Carlsbad, Calif.
This is not the first time an airline has created a stressful situation for golfers.
