VERITAS: FUMBLE - TIGER'S DRIVE INTO THE ROUGH

It started as a minor car accident, and ended up an out-and-out train wreck. Tiger Woods blew it at the outset, with the initial statement he put up on his website immediately following disclosure of the collision with the fire hydrant and tree. Tactically, it was a good idea: get something out, fast and unfiltered, directly from him to the world. But the trouble lay in the fact that the statement itself raised more questions than it answered, in the aftermath of the car accident and amid the furiously swirling but (at the time) still unconfirmed rumours of infidelity on the golf master’s part. By obliquely talking about “this situation” being “all my fault,” “obviously embarrassing” and something that he would “certainly make sure … doesn’t happen again,” he merely stoked the fires of speculation even higher. Rather than taking the first opportunity to come clean, clearly admit his misconduct, express contrition and humbly ask for privacy, Woods ended up being dragged there when his alleged partners started surfacing in the media. Even then, his follow-up statement only got it half right. His rather petulant knocks against the media for their interest in what he deemed should be a purely private matter (“personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions”) changed what should have been a turning point in the story into yet another reason to criticize his behaviour. As any public figure needs to understand, there’s a quid pro quo for the velvet rope. The same public acceptance of your fame and special treatment when times are good carries with it an obligation to at least be up-front on the basics when things go bad. You don’t have to get into all the gory details, but you do have to confirm or deny the top-line, indicate whether you’re prepared to talk any further or not, and stay that course. The only thing Woods has done right since is to stay hidden. Dark though the days have been for him, the story has faded somewhat over the past month, and should continue to do so, especially with his announced hiatus from the pro tour circuit. As ham-fistedly as it was done, he finally fessed up, expressed regret and asked for space, and the world has – for now, anyway – moved on. We’ll watch with great interest to see how and when he ultimately resurfaces in 2010.