PGA Tour Board Member Jimmy Dunne, the man who brokered the deal between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the Tour, made a bold statement regarding the PIF and Saudi Arabia’s connection to the 9/11 attacks.
On the Gulf Channel, Dunne reacted emotionally to the Saudi connection to the terrorist attacks, promising that if anyone found a person “beyond a reasonable doubt” he would “kill himself” in the 9/11 attacks.
“Every day is the first thing on my mind [September 11]; I think about it several times a day; “And the last thing on my mind at night is that,” Dunne began.
“It hasn’t changed since that day.” And I’m not alone in that. I guarantee that each of these family members has the same disease. It’s just the reality of how incredibly sad and awful that day was.
‘I understand that. And I’m pretty sure – and I’ve had conversations with a lot of very knowledgeable people – that the people I’m dealing with have nothing to do with it.
“If anyone finds someone who was clearly involved, I will kill them myself.” “We don’t have to wait.”
PGA Board Member Jimmy Dunne defended the Saudis with a toneless comment
Dunne said that “the people I deal with” had nothing to do with the 9/11 terrorist attacks
Dunne continued, “But the reality is we need to come together as a people.” We have too much division.
“And at some point – be it our view of the Japanese or our view of the Germans – there comes a point in time when you have to say: let’s try to get to know each other. Let’s try to understand it, let’s try to demonstrate it with examples.
“Well, I don’t take a stance on any country, and whatever your position on what I’m trying to say, I believe we shouldn’t run away from our differences.” And we should get to know each other and it basically make it difficult so that we don’t have to deal with what we experienced over 20 years ago.
“As awful as it was for me, it was a lot worse for other people.” I can’t imagine [voice cracks] … if one of my children was involved. So I have real sympathy for that, but I’d like to do something about it.
“And I want to make sure that another poor guy who just goes to work one day doesn’t have to go through what we went through.” contribute.”
Dunne, an investment banker, co-founded Sandler O’Neill and Partners – a company based on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
He was attempting to qualify for US Mid-Amateur on September 11, 2001 when the attacks broke out, killing 66 of his staff.
9/11 Families United – a coalition of families and survivors of the attacks – released a statement in response to the proposed merger of the PGA, LIV and DP World Tour.
Dunne (R) was playing golf when his staff were in the south tower and 66 people died
9/11 Families United released a statement criticizing PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan
They particularly targeted PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, whose defense of his golf club has often been based on his moral distinction of being independent from the Saudi government.
“PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan last year enlisted the 9/11 community in the PGA’s unequivocal agreement that the Saudi LIV project was nothing more than sporting damage to Saudi Arabia’s reputation,” said the organization’s chairman, Terry Strada.
“But now the PGA and Monahan seem to have become just more paid Saudi stooges, spending billions of dollars to cleanse Saudi Arabia’s reputation so that Americans and the world forget how the kingdom made its billions of dollars before the… 9/11 to fund terrorism.” spreading their scathing hatred of Americans and funding Al Qaeda and the assassination of our loved ones. Make no mistake – we will never forget it.
‘Mister. Monahan spoke last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television if the LIV Golfers ever had to apologize for being on the PGA Tour.
“They are now – and so is he.” PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed.
“Our entire 9/11 community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely a window dressing in pursuit of money – they never sought to honor the great sport of golf. “
Al-Rumayyan is now clearly the strongest man in golf as three tours are set to be merged
Through the agreed merger, the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour will all come under the purview of the Saudi PIF, which will be chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
Dunne and Ed Herlihy, the chairman of the PGA Tour Policy Board, helped negotiate the deal between the PGA and the PIF to merge golf courses.
Monahan will serve as CEO of the combined leagues, with Al-Rumayyan as chairman and Dunne and Herlihy on the board.
Dunne is a member of a number of prestigious golf clubs – including Augusta National and Shinnecock Hills – and is also President of Seminole Golf Club in Florida.