Woods is sorry for 'transgressions'
Source: Agencies |
December 4, 2009, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WITH a public apology and another appeal for privacy, Tiger Woods acknowledged on Wednesday that he let his family down with unspecified "transgressions" that he regrets with "all of my heart."
"I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves," Woods said on his Website following a magazine report of an alleged affair.
It was his longest statement since a middle-of-the-night car crash outside his Florida home last week set off the greatest media scrutiny of Woods' career and his 5-year-old marriage to former model Elin Nordegren. He did not go into detail and said he would deal with his "personal failings" with his family.
"Those feelings should be shared by us alone," he said.
Us Weekly reported that a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer. The magazine released what it said was a voice mail - provided by the waitress, Jaimee Grubbs - that Woods left on her phone three days before his accident.
"I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves," Woods said. "For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology."
Woods' career has been largely without blemish since he turned pro at age 20.
Grubbs told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub the week after the 2007 Masters - two months before Woods' wife gave birth to their first child.
In the voice mail released by the magazine, a man says to Grubbs: "Hey, it's, uh, it's Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Um, can you please, uh, take your name off your phone. My wife went through my phone. And, uh, may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and, um, and what do you call it just have it as a number on the voice mail, just have it as your telephone number. That's it, OK. You gotta do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye."
Three of his sponsors - Nike, Gatorade and EA Sports - expressed support or commitment to Woods.
Professional athletes had sympathy for Woods.
NFL player Jason Taylor walked into the Miami Dolphins' locker room and saw ESPN running a joke about Woods. He reached up and turned off the TV. "Nobody's damned business," he said.
In its final report, the Florida Highway Patrol said Woods caused US$3,200 in property damage, was not wearing a seat belt and was traveling 30 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Woods' limited response after the crash - the first statement on Friday spoke of a "minor accident" - fueled speculation about a domestic dispute.
"The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious," Woods said.
"Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect."
Woods acknowledged his celebrity status - 82 victories, 14 majors and the first US$1 billion athlete - while maintaining his right to keep his personal affairs just that.
"But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy," Woods said. "I realize there are some who don't share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions."
The PGA Tour said only that Woods' statement "speaks for itself."
Such sordid revelations come at a crucial time for the PGA Tour, which is talking to a dozen companies with tournament sponsorship deals that expire after 2010.
According to the magazine, Grubbs said she was 21 when first approached by Woods in Las Vegas. That meeting "progressed into a clandestine on-and-off affair" that included hundreds of texts.
Reached in Sweden on Wednesday, Woods' father-in-law, Thomas Nordegren said: "I don't want to comment on this whatsoever."
"I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves," Woods said on his Website following a magazine report of an alleged affair.
It was his longest statement since a middle-of-the-night car crash outside his Florida home last week set off the greatest media scrutiny of Woods' career and his 5-year-old marriage to former model Elin Nordegren. He did not go into detail and said he would deal with his "personal failings" with his family.
"Those feelings should be shared by us alone," he said.
Us Weekly reported that a Los Angeles cocktail waitress claims she had a 31-month affair with the world's No. 1 golfer. The magazine released what it said was a voice mail - provided by the waitress, Jaimee Grubbs - that Woods left on her phone three days before his accident.
"I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves," Woods said. "For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology."
Woods' career has been largely without blemish since he turned pro at age 20.
Grubbs told the magazine she met Woods at a Las Vegas nightclub the week after the 2007 Masters - two months before Woods' wife gave birth to their first child.
In the voice mail released by the magazine, a man says to Grubbs: "Hey, it's, uh, it's Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor. Um, can you please, uh, take your name off your phone. My wife went through my phone. And, uh, may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and, um, and what do you call it just have it as a number on the voice mail, just have it as your telephone number. That's it, OK. You gotta do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye."
Three of his sponsors - Nike, Gatorade and EA Sports - expressed support or commitment to Woods.
Professional athletes had sympathy for Woods.
NFL player Jason Taylor walked into the Miami Dolphins' locker room and saw ESPN running a joke about Woods. He reached up and turned off the TV. "Nobody's damned business," he said.
In its final report, the Florida Highway Patrol said Woods caused US$3,200 in property damage, was not wearing a seat belt and was traveling 30 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Woods' limited response after the crash - the first statement on Friday spoke of a "minor accident" - fueled speculation about a domestic dispute.
"The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious," Woods said.
"Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect."
Woods acknowledged his celebrity status - 82 victories, 14 majors and the first US$1 billion athlete - while maintaining his right to keep his personal affairs just that.
"But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy," Woods said. "I realize there are some who don't share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one's own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions."
The PGA Tour said only that Woods' statement "speaks for itself."
Such sordid revelations come at a crucial time for the PGA Tour, which is talking to a dozen companies with tournament sponsorship deals that expire after 2010.
According to the magazine, Grubbs said she was 21 when first approached by Woods in Las Vegas. That meeting "progressed into a clandestine on-and-off affair" that included hundreds of texts.
Reached in Sweden on Wednesday, Woods' father-in-law, Thomas Nordegren said: "I don't want to comment on this whatsoever."
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