New York
CNN
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ESPN journalist Jeff Darlington witnessed the arrest of World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler Friday morning earlier than the second spherical of the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, thrusting the reporter into the center of one of many strangest sports activities tales in latest reminiscence.
Darlington and Scheffler had arrived on the course across the identical time in preparation for the match. After reportedly trying to drive across the scene of a deadly crash, Scheffler was arrested and charged with a felony and different counts. He was later launched and has since teed off within the match.
Darlington was not solely a witness to the incident, he additionally tried to intervene. He was solely a number of toes away from Scheffler when the golfer was arrested, and Darlington tried – and failed – to elucidate to the police that Scheffler was a participant within the match.
“We didn’t wish to be a part of this story, we ended up being at the least on the periphery,” stated ESPN commentator Dave Fleming on air after the incident.
ESPN instructed CNN that the community will not be commenting on this story.
Darlington broke the information of Scheffler’s arrest in a sequence of posts on X and defined the incident in larger element on ESPN’s SportsCenter lower than an hour later. He stated the incident occurred round 6 a.m. after a “misunderstanding” by which Scheffler tried to avoid police presence on the scene of an unrelated automobile accident that occurred outdoors of golf membership.
“The police officer tried to connect himself to Scheffler’s automobile, and Scheffler then stopped his car on the entrance to Valhalla,” Darlington wrote on X. “The police officer then started to scream at Scheffler to get out of the automobile. When Scheffler exited the car, the officer shoved Scheffler in opposition to the automobile and instantly positioned him in handcuffs.”
“At which level (Scheffler) – seeing me behind him – stated ‘are you able to assist?’ The law enforcement officials instructed me to step again,” Darlington instructed audiences on air shortly after.
In a video posted on X an hour later, Darlington follows the law enforcement officials as they lead Scheffler away. A number of law enforcement officials inform him to step again.
“Proper now he’s going to jail. He’s going to jail and there’s nothing you are able to do about it.” one officer instructed Darlington, referring to Scheffler. Darlington clarifies that he’s a member of the media, and the police reiterate that he must step again.
“The law enforcement officials across the patrol automobile by which Scottie Scheffler was in had no concept he was even Scottie Scheffler,” Darlington clarified on air. “I say that as a result of one police officer got here as much as me together with his pad and stated…are you able to inform me the identify of the one that was simply arrested.”
Darlington stated that gamers had been instructed they had been allowed to enter the ability, and that Scheffler stated that he stored driving previous the police car as a result of he “didn’t know that he was a police officer.”
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault on a police officer – a felony – together with lesser fees of third-degree legal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding alerts from officers directing site visitors, in response to Jefferson County courtroom information. He’s been launched from jail, in response to the Louisville Metro Division of Corrections.
Legal professional Steve Romines, who represents Scheffler, told CNN affiliate WLKY that the golfer bypassed police due to a misunderstanding.
“They had been directing site visitors, he held his media credential out and was entering into like they’d been instructed to,” Romines stated. Scheffler’s legal professional declined to touch upon why the golfer was charged with assault, saying he’ll let the case play out in courtroom.
The PGA Championship match was delayed by an hour and a half, and commenced at round 8:30 Friday morning.
“This morning we had been devastated to study {that a} employee with considered one of our distributors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outdoors Valhalla Golf Membership,” PGA stated in an announcement. “That is heartbreaking to all of us concerned with the PGA Championship. We prolong our honest condolences to their household and family members.”