Zoeller Makes Light of Racial-Joke Controversy

Is this Fuzzy II? Or Zoellergate?

Only a week since he withdrew from a tournament after making racially insensitive remarks about Tiger Woods, Fuzzy Zoeller kidded with a black golfer Monday about eating fried chicken and watermelon.

The black golfer, Victor McBryde, called to Zoeller, “Hey, Fuzzy,” at the Thornblade Classic charity pro-am in Greenville, S.C., and Zoeller responded, “Go get you some fried chicken.” McBryde answered by telling Zoeller not to forget the cornbread.

“How about some watermelon?” Zoeller said.

McBryde, a district manager for a chain of doughnut stores, and Zoeller told the Associated Press they were friends and meant nothing by the comments.

Said Zoeller later: “I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past several days. . . . It still seems to me that we have to stop being so sensitive about things. I’m white, Vic McBryde is black, so what? I kidded him, he kidded me back. If we don’t all learn to laugh at each other and ourselves, we’re not ever going to get along.”

In his comments to CNN-SI after Woods’ victory in the Masters, Zoeller referred to Woods as “that little boy” and suggested that at next year’s champion’s dinner, Woods avoid ordering fried chicken or collard greens.