The perfect smile, the bright white teeth, the storybook career, a stunningly beautiful wife and children, the support of the world, Tiger Woods has led his life as almost a Disney character. Tiger, keeping the tabloids, media in general and even friends at more than arms length, has led a serene, enviable life. That is, until now.

Now there’s alleged sex, scandal, possible violence, drugs and intrigue surrounding the guy that went as far as to name his yacht ”Privacy”. For a man who has exiled friends that have spoken openly about the “behind the scenes” of Tiger’s life, he now remains silent himself. FHP (Florida Highway Patrol) has attempted on three separate occasions to speak with Woods after his early Friday morning accident but with no success. The specifics are out there for everyone to pick over, like vultures over road kill, but the details are more than sketchy and leave you wondering what plausible explanation could fill in the blanks.

On Sunday, Tiger tried to put this to rest but, in all reality, has created more questions.

Here's the statement that has been issued on Tiger's website:
As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I'm pretty sore. This situation is my fault, and it's obviously embarrassing to my family and me. I'm human and I'm not perfect. I will certainly make sure this doesn't happen again. This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false. This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.

What we do know is that at approximately 2:25 A.M. on Friday, November 27th, Tiger Woods drove his black Cadillac Escalade down his driveway, under 30 miles per hour, hit a fire hydrant off to the left hand side of the street and then careened into a neighbors tree. When police arrived, Tiger was in the street being attended to by his wife and he was unconscious with numerous facial lacerations. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated and released. Since then, Tiger’s remained silent while his “people” have tried to spin the details into many different directions.



The National Enquirer, which has always been read with a large dose of skepticism, has projected Tiger as a philanderer which has been rumored to have started an argument between Tiger and his wife and former swimsuit model, Elin Nordgren. There are so many questions now surrounding this incident.

Where was Tiger going at 2:25 A.M.?

Why did his wife smash out the SUVs’ window with a golf club?

Why, in an under 30 M.P.H. accident was Tiger supposedly dragged from the vehicle unconscious?

Why will Tiger not speak with police?

If the story in the National Enquirer is un-true, will Tiger sue them as he has so many others that have either made false claims about he or his wife or used Tiger’s image without consent? If Tiger doesn’t sue, how loudly does that speak?

The timing…well’ it’s awful. In a few days Woods will host a post-season tournament, HIS OWN post-season tournament, the Chevron World Challenge. This tournament raises money for Tiger’s charitable foundation. Would Tiger duck his own event? He certainly can’t avoid speaking about this incident forever.

The comparison’s have already been made to Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Alex Rodriguez and others about their inability to own up to what they did. Granted, these are vastly different scenarios, I understand that, I’m merely repeating the perceptive comparison but allowing you to understand that Tiger’s being cast within the same net. Tiger is under no obligation to speak to the police or press. He can merely accept his ticket for failure to control and pay the fine along with the property damage and walk away from this blemish in his life but the more he avoids this, the more Tiger’s control happy spin doctors can’t contain the wildness that will be speculated regarding their client, the deeper the darkness will appear in Tiger’s life.

If Tiger was heading to Wendy’s for a late night Big Classic, then it’s no big deal. We all yawn and say who cares. If there was a domestic dispute in which the rumors are true and Woods’ wife actually attacked him and beat his SUV with a golf club as he drove away, then we suddenly discover a chink in the armor that is the world’s greatest golfer. Afterall, we never heard about anything like this coming out of the Nicklaus camp.

Personally, there’s a part of me that wants to know every dirty detail about a guy who has almost seemed un-human at times. Tiger, while I root for him because he’s a truly likeable figure, has seemed almost too perfect, even in athletic imperfection. On the other hand, there’s a part of me that wishes he doesn’t say a word. He simply tells us something like, “this is a personal matter and that’s what it’s going to remain and that’s the end of it. I’ll never, ever speak of this again so don’t ask.”

What goes on behind closed doors should remain behind closed doors for the most part. The problem is, Tiger took this into the street.

RELATED LINKS:

*  TIger Woods Official Website
*  Golf.com
*  ABC News
*  The Orlando Sentinel
*  Hollywood Gossip
*  US Magazine
*  TMZ
*  ESPN
*  The Wall Street Journal