Ah, darn. It was such a pretty story.
The world’s best golfer, his gorgeous blonde bride, their two young children. As in his golf game, Tiger Woods seemed to conduct himself in life with nothing but class and honor.
At least from the outside.
The fairytale got bruised a little at the news of Woods’ car accident Nov. 27, when he left the house at 2:25 in the morning and crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a neighbor’s tree. His wife, Elin Nordegren, attacked the SUV with a golf club, either to help get the injured Woods out of it or to help make her point. It wasn’t clear which.
When he repeatedly turned away police officers who wanted to interview him about the accident, a few eyebrows were raised. Questions of domestic violence floated around; could he be hiding his wounds so as to muddy their origin? Was there something to hide? Was he protecting his wife?
At this point, the collective feeling among outsiders was to leave the story alone. It was a domestic matter between a married couple, and Woods deserved some privacy.
When the police investigation was closed and Woods simply was fined for reckless driving, it might have been the end of the story. Except it wasn’t.
"Hey, it's, uh, it's Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor," says a voicemail message on the phone of 24-year-old Jaimee Grubbs, a woman who lives in Escondido, Calif.. "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 voicemail, just have it as your telephone number. That's it, OK. You gotta do this for me. Huge. Quickly. All right. Bye."
With that, the fairytale cracked wide open.
In a story in Us Weekly, Grubbs claims she had a 31-month affair with Woods, and that she has text messages and the voice mail to prove it. (The magazine would not comment on whether she was paid for the information.)
The National Enquirer has also published a story saying that Woods had an affair with New York hostess Rachel Uchitel, who has denied the allegation. Life & Style mentioned a third woman, Kalika Moquin, a 27-year-old Las Vegas nightclub executive. She has neither confirmed nor denied an affair.
But Woods, on his website, wrote a “profound” apology that also emphasized his desire for privacy:
“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."
And now come leaked reports that Woods and his wife are in negotiations to change their pre-nuptial agreement, most notably the amount of money she were to receive should she stay with him for 7 years and appear with him at public events.
A negotiated happily-ever-after, it would seem.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Where do you stand on all of this? On one hand, the tabloid press was relentless in their efforts to sully the name of a beloved professional athlete. On the other hand, according to Woods’ own admission, they might have been right. Where do we draw the line in these days of instant messages, texting and everpresent technology? Can anyone in the public life expect any privacy at all? And why are we so addicted to fairytales?
Tiger Woods’ website:
http://web.tigerwoods.com/index
Woods’ words, from USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2009-12-02-woods-statement_N.htm
ABC News, on the women:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/tabloids-allege-woods-affairs-women/story?id=9232973
The prenuptial story:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-03/new-details-on-tigers-prenup/?cid=hp:mainpromo1