Ashley Perez, who accused golfer Phil Mickelson of propositioning her after showing her an unsolicited naked photo of himself, spoke out in the wake of her shocking claims.
“I will rise up and stand next to the millions of women who have been silenced to protect the evil and darkness that lurks amongst us,” Perez wrote via her Instagram Story on Sunday, June 28. “Thank you dearly for all the love and support.”
She added, “My heart goes out to the countless other victims. 💔.”
Perez made the allegations against Mickelson, 56, in a piece written by journalist Alan Shipnuck published by Skratch Golf on Friday, June 26.
Shortly after Ashley married pro golfer Pat Perez in 2014, she allegedly started receiving text messages from Mickelson, a longtime acquaintance of her new husband.
“I was so young and innocent,” Ashley said. “I’m just this girl from Oklahoma and it’s like, I can’t believe Phil Mickelson wants to be my buddy! And he’s sending me good morning texts!”
She further explained, “Looking back now, it definitely feels like I was being groomed.”
Phil Mickelson Michael Miller/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Ashley was 27 years old at the time, while Mickelson was 44. Mickelson has been married to his wife, Amy, since 1996.
The following year, Ashley alleged that Mickelson made unwanted advances on her with her husband nearby.
Ashley claimed Mickelson showed her “a full-body picture of himself naked with an erection while flexing one bicep” on his phone when Pat excused himself to use the bathroom.
“Phil says to me, ‘I’m going to leave my bedroom door open tonight. When Pat falls asleep I want you to come see me,’” Ashley alleged.
Ashley Perez and Pat Perez Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images
Ashley saved a phone call her husband received from Mickelson after Ashley told him about the alleged incident, saying he was “disgusted and embarrassed.” Mickelson, however, pushed back on the specific nature of the photo in question.
“Mickelson alternated between contrition and saying he didn’t remember the details of that night,” Shipnuck wrote about the phone call, which Ashley played for him. “When Pat laid out the story that Mickelson had shown ‘a naked photo’ of himself to Ashley, Phil responded, ‘You mean topless?’”
Ashley — who filed for divorce from Pat in 2023 — was motivated to come forward with her accusations against Mickelson “to give other women the courage to share their truth.”
“With Phil, I feel like the pattern has been there for many years but people have been afraid to go public because it’s Phil Mickelson,” she told Shipnuck. “We give these golfers so much adulation and money, they think they’re gods. They think they’re untouchable. Being a pro athlete doesn’t exempt you from behaving respectfully in society.”
Ashley added, “With Phil, you’re dealing with an egotistical narcissist. I know the type — I used to be married to one. Phil will keep going until he gets caught. Actually, it takes more than that. If Phil’s behavior is ever going to change, he has to understand the trauma he has caused so many people in so many parts of his life.”
A spokesperson for Mickelson provided a statement through the golfer’s lawyers to Skratch Golf in response to the accusations.
“Some of the allegations circulating about Mr. Mickelson are false, and others revisit mistakes he has already acknowledged, publicly or privately,” the statement read. “Stacking the disputed claims next to the ones he has owned does not make them credible. It instead contributes to a false and misleading narrative. No person, no article, and no book can present an accurate, complete, or personal story of the life Mr. Mickelson and his family have lived. His story, struggles, and recovery belong to him and to the people who have shared it closely alongside him.”
The statement referenced allegations about Mickelson’s drinking, saying, “Recovery is not a straight line.”
“Throughout their 35-year relationship, his wife, Amy Mickelson, has supported Mr. Mickelson and their family with extraordinary grace, unwavering love, and the belief that people are measured not only by their failures, but by what they do to make them right,” the statement said. “Mr. Mickelson’s priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves. Right now, that means giving his full attention to a private family health matter. He understands that parts of his life are public, but his family’s private matters are not.”
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