It 'showed me that not only were they anti-news, but they were decidedly anti-Christian. And I just couldn't accept that,' Steve Eubanks claimed after resigning from Global Golf Post
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A former senior writer at a major golf outlet claimed he resigned from the publication after his editors demanded he cut the pro-life and Christian elements from an interview he did with professional golfer Amy Olson, who is competing while pregnant.
Steve Eubanks, a sportswriter and employee at Global Golf Post, alleged that his fellow staff "went ballistic" over the content of the interview, and said that his executive editor mandated that the outlet would only run it if it cut out the sections that covered Olson’s Christianity and pro-life views.
Eubanks claimed that then and there, he announced his resignation from the outlet.
HOW THIS CRUCIAL MIDWESTERN BATTLEGROUND SHIFTED FROM PURPLE TO RED
A senior writer at a major golf publication claimed he resigned after his editors refused to publish an interview with professional golfer Amy Olson that contained her pro-life, Christian views. (Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
The incident began when Global Golf Post tasked him with doing a preview story about the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament that was being held in Pebble Beach, California in July.
Allowed to choose which golfer he would center the piece around, Eubanks opted for Olson, who would be competing at the tournament while she was seven months pregnant with her first child.
Eubanks spoke to Olson about competing while pregnant during the interview, asking her what people have thought about it.
In portions of the unpublished interview shared by The Blaze, Olson told Eubanks, "I've been honored that people have picked up the story and been interested. I feel like everyone has been supportive. Nothing but goodwill has come toward me, and I've so appreciated that."
Olson then made comments about abortion, noting there was an irony to her competing while pregnant right around the one-year anniversary of Roe V. Wade being overturned.
"I will say that the irony is not lost on me that, one year ago, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, I was playing in a major championship outside Washington, D.C., and women from around the world, and even on tour, were outraged."
The golfer added, "Now, a year later, people are celebrating that I'm going to be playing a major championship with an unborn child that they recognize as a life."
Last year, Olson celebrated Roe V. Wade’s end in a quote given to USA Today’s Golfweek. She said, Now states have the opportunity to protect every life. They haven’t had the option to do that in almost 50 years."
In the interview with Eubanks, Olson also spoke about her faith and the challenges of being an outspoken Christian today. She said, "It's very tough. Being a Christian has always been political because Christianity is supposed to touch every aspect of your life. I believe in comprehensive Christianity. It dictates how you treat people, how you think about the world, and the decisions that you make."
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Amy Olson of the United States hits a tee shot on the 16th hole during the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give at Blythefield Country Club on June 15, 2023 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Raj Mehta/Getty Images)
"But over the last decade it's become extremely difficult because a lot of the things that Christianity stands for have become political battlegrounds. Christ hasn't changed His view on any of those things, but the culture has changed," she added.
However, once Eubanks sent the draft to his editors, the drama started. He told TheBlaze that his staff "went ballistic." He claimed, "About five hours into the editing process, I got calls from the editor saying, in his exact words, 'The staff is going nuts. They're saying we can't run this.’"
The author noted, "I was fighting very vociferously to get it run, saying, 'It's news; we're a news outlet.' And the point I wanted to make — if she had said exactly the opposite, I still would have fought to put it in."
However, his executive editor put the nail through his story’s coffin, Eubanks recalled, "Several back-and-forth phone calls took place on this, and finally, the editor-in-chief called and said, 'The only way we will run this piece is if we take out the abortion and the Christian stuff,'"
"That last line did it for me," Eubanks said, adding that he "resigned on the spot."
The author claimed the call showed him that his publication was anti-Christian and that was too far for him. He explained, "The last line showed me that not only were they anti-news, but they were decidedly anti-Christian. And I just couldn't accept that."
Eubanks told Fox News Digital it was hard to leave the outlet, though it was worth it for the truth. He stated, "I hate that it came to that. Leaving was tough for a lot of reasons. I worked with a lot of wonderful people there. And certainly it was a personal and financial hit. But Amy was right: in the end, we all have to answer to God."
Furthermore, Eubanks alleged that a USA Today Golfweek author tried to pick up his interview for their outlet, and though it was written up and approved by that reporter's editorial team, other editors at USA Today squashed it before publishing.
The Global Golf Post did not immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
