By all counts, the ventriloquism of revelation by press statement is not serving Tiger Woods well. Let’s count the ways. First there was the flinty stonewalling followed by a piddly statement on the tigerwoods.com website to the effect that Tiger had been:
…. in a minor car accident outside his home last night. He was admitted, treated and released today in good condition. We appreciate very much everyone’s thoughts and well wishes. (Statement from Health Central Hospital and Tiger Woods’ office, Friday 11/27/09)
After that would not calm down the waves of inquiry, speculation and innuendo, Tiger released another statement two days later on Sunday. The belated intent was clearly for damage control at this point:
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. (Statement from Tiger Woods, 11/29/09)
When that did little to quell the storm clouds of women possibly coming out with stories of more flings, Tiger released yet another statement, owning up to Biblical-sounding “sins and transgressions”. This was hours after US Weekly magazine ran a story alleging that Woods had had a long-running affair with a Los Angeles cocktail waitress named Jamie Grubbs. The feeding frenzy was fully on:
I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
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. 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.
Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.
I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology. (Tiger Comments on Current Events, 12/2/09)
The saying s#*t or get off the pot would probably do Tiger better good than his own counsel combined with that of his advisers right now. What more, it would be free, versus the thousands he is paying advisers right now. If he wants to remain silent, then he should do it with steel balls, sans the measured and half-assed statements that he has been issuing every two days or so.
The fall of Tiger Woods and what it reveals: The fall of Tiger Woods is the result of the image that had formed around him with the active collusion of him and his PR machine: that of a deliberate, smart and Stanford-educated superstar. On the golf course he may have been “passionate” and petulant even, but he also balanced that off with customary reticence and obsessive privacy when it comes to dealing with the press. Tiger was, by design or default, positioned as an athlete worlds removed from the hi-jinks of your average NBA or NFL jock.
The w0manizing revelations thus came as a shock because it proved otherwise. And as if that wasn’t enough, the kinds of women Tiger apparently chose and his methods of contacting them showed a man who did not put much thought into the probable fallout of such contacts and the possible impact they could have on his family and or the multi-million endorsement deals that formed the foundation of his incredible wealth. Now what could possibly account for such recklessness. Ego? Entitlement? Diminished judgment or all of the above? Now if Tiger was suffering from diminished judgment, what could possibly account for such?
Unfortunate Shades of Michael Jackson: The other thing the fall of Tiger Woods reveals is a naivety that rivals that of Michael Jackson when it comes to a less than sophisticated appreciation of the workings of the media. Tiger’s navel gazing and combined with his reflexive swiping at the media, show a man whose preoccupation with his own reality precludes any real understanding of the Faustian bargain celebrities strike with fame and fortune; a revelation which doesn’t jibe with the image of a smart, articulate, Stanford-educated maverick.
