Jim Gray To Spend More Time Watching The NBA All-Star Festivities**
/Steve Elling with the scoop that was the talk of the press center yesterday.
Gray, a free-lance reporter who long has been known for his bold reportorial style, was benched Friday by the network after players and caddies in Dustin Johnson's threesome complained after Gray questioned Johnson during live play in the first round of the Northern Trust Open.
Johnson arrived late for his tee time Thursday morning and was penalized two shots, a story that became a headline during the first round. Gray spoke briefly with Johnson during the middle of his round and asked questions about why he was late to the tee, then reported Johnson's remarks on the network's pregame show.
**USA Today's Mike McCarthy actually broke the story and included this quote from Golf Channel spokesman Dan Higgins:
"Our aim is to provide the best possible golf coverage for our viewers. Anything else is a disservice. In order not to provide further distraction, we've decided to remove Jim from this particular assignment," Higgins said Friday.