Miami Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson was outspoken on social media after Scottie Scheffler, world No. 1 golfer, was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on Friday morning.
Valhalla and City of Louisville should never host this tournament again. What a clown show
— Blake Ferguson (@blakeferguson48) May 17, 2024
Making him change into an orange jumpsuit for a temporary hold is a joke https://t.co/EYm0kJ5P6b
— Blake Ferguson (@blakeferguson48) May 17, 2024
Scheffler was arrested early on Friday morning while he was attempting to drive into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club, which is where this week’s PGA Championship is being held.
“Scheffler faces charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote. “Scheffler was released at 8:40 a.m. ET and headed to Valhalla. The assault charge is a felony; the others are misdemeanors.”
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington shared footage of Scheffler being led away by police officers.
Here is video that I took of Scheffler being arrested: https://t.co/8UPZKvPCCf pic.twitter.com/9Tbp2tyrJh
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) May 17, 2024
There had been traffic outside of the golf course after a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus around 5 a.m. EST. According to Darlington, Scheffler was attempting to drive around the crash scene on a median.
He was instructed to stop, but the star golfer drove a little bit further – about 10 to 20 yards – towards the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club. Darlington explained the chaotic scene further on social media.
“Breaking News: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has been detained by police in handcuffs after a misunderstanding with traffic flow led to his attempt to drive past a police officer into Valhalla Golf Club,” Darlington wrote. “The police officer attempted to attach himself to Scheffler’s car, and Scheffler then stopped his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla. The police officer then began to scream at Scheffler to get out of the car. When Scheffler exited the vehicle, the officer shoved Scheffler against the car and immediately placed him in handcuffs. He is now being detained in the back of a police car.”
Scheffler is still competing in the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday, as his tee time was at 10:08 a.m. EST.
He arrived at the practice range 35 minutes ahead of his tee time, giving him a chance to situate himself after a rather crazy morning.
It’ll be interesting to see how Scheffler’s golf game responds to the incident, as he’s been on a terrific run, winning the 2024 Masters back in April and taking the top spot in four of his last five starts.
Scottie Scheffler had a short stretching session in the locker room and has arrived on the practice range 35 minutes ahead of his tee time.
— Sean Zak (@Sean_Zak) May 17, 2024
Scheffler shared a statement regarding the incident on Friday morning prior to teeing off.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers,” he told Darlington. “It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
At such a major golf event, this arrest is certainly going to send shock waves through the sports community, and Ferguson is one of many to speak out.
In fact, it appears that at least one member of the police didn’t even realize that Scheffler was the person that was being arrested.
I'm not sure what's crazier…the world's No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler asking @JeffDarlington for help as he's being detained or an officer asking Darlington "who was that we just arrested?"
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 17, 2024
Ferguson, who played collegiately at Louisiana State University, was a sixth-round pick by the Dolphins back in 2020. He’s appeared in 67 games with the team over the last four seasons.
