Dottie Pepper calls it quits with NBC Sports
Dottie Pepper, a former American golfer, has announced her retirement with the NBC Sports, where she worked as a golf commentator from 2005.
Pepper quit professional golf in mid 2004, and had started working with the NBC Sports and The Golf Channel next year.
Although admired by most of women’s golf fans, her career as a golf commentator had also been under fire for a while.
She gained notoriety after calling the American squad “choking freaking dogs,” on the Golf Channel. Most of the observers, at the time, said that her bold remarks about the American team might
have been the reason for her to distance herself from the mainstream media.
However, the American star had been quick to take her words back, apologising if her comments hurt anyone. She maintained that she had no idea her “poor choice of words” would create so much
trouble—and that she had thought the words would somehow escape fans’ notice.
Despite a bit of controversy, Pepper spent a great time covering several tournaments. It was her down-to-earth, nice attitude that led many of her associates calling her work “impeccable”.
“I would have to say this is similar to when Barry Sanders retired because she's going out on top of her game,” said Tommy Roy who is currently the NBC’s Executive Producer of Golf.
Roy was the one who helped Pepper pursue her career. He gave the former golfer a chance to polish her skills as pro commentator—something Pepper has often mentioned during her interviews.
Roy said that he was not happy to see her call it quits, as the women’s golf will no longer see her spice up tournaments with her expert opinion.
"Her work this year on the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup was impeccable. You could take her work and make a 'how-to' tape for future broadcasters," the NBC Executive Producer said.
When Pepper covered the US Women’s Open as her first professional assignment, it was like dream-come-true for the 47-year-old. She said during her interview that she was fascinated by the
charm of that very first responsibility.
“You can't dream up an assignment like that. My very first Open and I walk in the winner," Pepper said.
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