Golf Channel reporter left red-faced after interviewing wrong person live on air
The Golf Channel faced an awkward moment during a live broadcast when reporter Lauren Withrow mistakenly interviewed the wrong sports star, thinking she had former college football icon Vince Young in front of her. The cringe-worthy incident occurred on Thursday at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina. Withrow approached who she believed to be…
The Golf Channel faced an awkward moment during a live broadcast when reporter Lauren Withrow mistakenly interviewed the wrong sports star, thinking she had former college football icon Vince Young in front of her.
The cringe-worthy incident occurred on Thursday at the BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina. Withrow approached who she believed to be Young, the ex-Texas hero and the No. 3 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Instead, she found herself speaking with Everette Sands, an assistant football coach at Citadel.
Withrow began the interview with enthusiasm, stating, “Six seasons in the NFL, arguably one of the best NCAA quarterbacks of all time at Texas, picked up golf about four years ago,” before asking, “What’s the biggest shift you’ve made going from the ultimate team sport to the ultimate individual sport?”
Sands, who specializes as an offensive skills coach at Citadel, handled the situation gracefully and corrected her by saying, “Now, I apologize. You have the wrong person. I’m Everette Sands. I’m a football coach. But the great thing about golf is that I’m not only competing against myself but also against everybody else.”
Quickly adjusting her approach, Withrow asked Sands about his first Pro-Am experience. He responded, “Being out here is a great thing. Having an opportunity to play with some professional golfers is intimidating but also fantastic.”
Speaking to WCIV about the mix-up, Sands recounted the amusing encounter: “A young lady came up and she said, ‘Vince,’ which I thought was her introducing herself to me. She asked, ‘Can I get an interview after you tee off?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ After I teed off, she started talking about being one of the best quarterbacks in the NCAA and playing for Texas and a six-year NFL career, and I realized, ‘She thinks I’m Vince Young.’ It was a very interesting moment.”
Later in the day, Sands humorously relayed the story to the real Vince Young when they met. Sands recounted, “Vince came up, and I said, ‘Hey, Vince, how are you doing? My name is Vince Young.’ He just smiled, and I said, ‘But let me tell you the story behind this.’ He got a good chuckle out of it.”
Sands, who was paired with former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf, found humor in his mistaken identity and shared the experience on social media, posting: “Had a great time at @BMWProAm today. I even got interviewed after one of the holes today!!”