Hundreds of 9/11 family members, in an open letter Wednesday, offered a round of applause for the PGA Tour golfers who rejected multimillion-dollar offers to join the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf Series.
“Thank you for reminding the people of the world that we should never forget,” read the missive from nearly 2,500 relatives of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “Thank you for standing up for decency. Thank you for resisting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to cleanse its reputation by buying off professional athletes.”
Among the prominent golfers joining the Saudi golf operation were Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, with the moves accompanied by a storm of public criticism from those who lost loved ones in the attacks.
The family members, in their letter, noted a recent FBI summary linking Saudi Arabia to the deadly terror attacks and the “mounting, document-based evidence of Saudi culpability in the attacks.”
“The Saudis have blood on their hands,” said Brett Eagleson, whose father, Bruce, was killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. “And no amount of sportswashing should ever clean that up for them.”
The two-page letter offers the families’ deep appreciation of the stand taken by the majority of the professional golfers.
“Some of your fellow PGA Tour members have traded their dreams of earned success for easy money …. whether they need those funds or not,” the letter reads. “They included some of the richest in the field, who justify their roles … by simply, and astoundingly, looking the other way.”
The letter made mention of the 9/11 victims still dying from exposure to the toxic miasma at Ground Zero and the Saudi execution of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
“The truth is coming out,” the letter continued.
“To those of you who have chosen what is right over blood money from a corrupt, destructive sports entity and its Saudi backers, please continue to stand strong. You inspire hope and conviction that our long journey to accountability and justice is within reach.”
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