Tiger Woods: A Club Kicking, F-Bomb Dropping Role Model

By Gary A. Johnson

April 9, 2012

For the record, I have never played golf.  This may be helpful to those of you reading who want to dismiss my opinions in this article, which you have every right to do.

I have friends who live and breathe golf.  Like millions of others, I started following golf when Tiger Woods turned pro and was the most dominant golfer on the planet.  If anything, Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods, the self-proclaimed, “Cablinasion” dominated the golf course and intimidated the competition for years while at the same time behaving badly.

Part of me admires Tiger for not allowing anyone to define him.  He is a defiant competitor and that’s part of what made him great and compelling as an athlete for years.

Thirty months ago, Tiger Woods wrecked his Escalade and apparently wrecked his life.  Dude has never been the same.  Before the accident Tiger was a beast on the golf course juggling his touring schedule, various business demands, marriage, family life and a harem of barmaids and cocktail waitresses.  Tiger Woods was the greatest golfer on the planet.

After that Escalade incident I wrote a commentary and stated that Tiger would NOT win another major golf tournament and would probably NOT pass Jack Nicklaus who has 18 major golf victories to his credit.  People wrote that I was crazy.  They said, Tiger Woods would get it together and win.  OK, it’s been almost 3 years.  Does Tiger look any better?  Does he look like he is ready for prime time?  He’s not invincible anymore.  The other pro golfers aren’t scared of him.

Tiger Woods has been under a microscope for years.  He knows this.  Is it fair?  Probably not, but it comes with being Tiger Woods.  Its part of the billionaire athlete package.  You can’t use this as an excuse.

About two years ago Tiger held a press conference and a few interviews.  Having ruined his marriage as a result of a very public sex scandal, Woods promised to clean up his act and treat the game that he loves with the respect that it deserves.  For a brief period of time Tiger controlled his outbursts and even stopped to sign autographs for fans.  Could this be the “new and improved” Tiger Woods?

Let’s look at the 2012 Masters Golf Tournament which concluded yesterday.  While on the back nine at the Masters Tiger dropped his club, cursed his club and kicked his precious 9-iron club about 15 yards on the 16^th tee box after badly missing a shot.  I was watching the broadcast and thought Tiger was going to grab his bag and throw all the clubs in the pond.

Now remember, I don’t play golf, but I suspect that had I exhibited that same behavior, I would have been asked to leave the course.  This was the Masters Golf Tournament.  Dude should have known better.  Guess that proves that Tiger is just like the rest of us.

Well maybe not.  If Tiger were some ordinary guy he would have been reprimanded and shown the clubhouse door, but because he’s Tiger Woods, he may not be fined.  The public has weighed in about Tiger’s behavior and they don’t like the special treatment that he gets.  Is some of the criticism of Tiger fair?  How much of the criticism is from golf’s elite that don’t like the fact that Woods is a young confident and brash golfer who happens to be black?  Maybe none of it has anything to do with his age, attitude or race.  It might just be that people don’t like to see their golf pros acting like a spoiled kid.

I understand that Tiger as flawed as he is right now as a golfer still makes people turn their television sets on to watch him.  Part of his image has been rebuilt.  He’s still a viable endorsement “cash cow” and no one wants to upset that dynamic because in the larger scheme of things, everybody benefits when Tiger Woods is in the hunt competing for a championship.

Nothing lasts forever.  At what point will Tiger lose his luster with the public?  I’m sure some of his colleagues are sick of him and his behavior but because they’re gentlemen have not publicly shared their opinions.

Tiger simply collapsed at the Masters.  He missed putt after putt after putt—all less than 5 feet.  Dude can’t play under pressure and his competitors have take advantage of this fact.  Tiger proclaimed that he was back with a new swing perfected by his coach Sean Foley.  After his performance at the Masters, I have to ask Tiger:  “How’s that new swing working out for you?”

Tiger is also acting a bit petulant these days.  He doesn’t do interviews with people who he feels will ask him hard questions.  He surrounds himself with people who shield him from the media.

I can understand why Tiger would be frustrated.  I get that.  It appears that the problem is between his ears, i.e., psychological.  Dude’s head is not right.  He’s not ready.  He can’t take pressure.

So where does that leave Tiger?  Can the greatest player of his era get it together?  Forget being a role model.  Charles Barkley told us years ago NOT to look to athletes to be role models.  Tiger is not likely to be a good role model.

I would hope that Tiger would reflect on his behavior at the Masters Golf Tournament and understand that he needs to be more aware of his behavior.  Tiger issued an apology for his foul language and kicking his golf clubs.  I hope the apology was sincere.  Whether Tiger wants to be a role model is out of his control.  He is and at times he probably shouldn’t be.

Gary A. Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog.  Gary is also the author of the book “25 Things That Really Matter In Life.”

Tiger Woods–“I’m Sorry”

By Gary A. Johnson

In his first public appearance since admitting he cheated on his wife Tiger Woods, portrayed by the media as the once invincible athlete of golf made a public apology today in a carefully orchestrated media production.  This was not a press conference.  Woods answered no questions and had one camera feed.  Reading from a lengthy prepared statement in a room of handpicked supporters, Woods acknowledged that he cheated and steered away from his values in part due to money, fame and a sense of entitlement.  Woods further acknowledged that his behavior was selfish and that he believed that the rules that govern the rest of us did not apply to him.

“I was unfaithful, I had affairs, I cheated. What I did was not acceptable and I am the only person to blame,” said Woods.  OK, Tiger says he made a mistake.  14 mistresses?  Mistake?  Whew.  It seems that Tiger went out of his way to defend his way regarding rumors that she kicked his ass.  He also asked the media to leave him alone.  Ain’t gonna happen Hoss.  You can forget that.

In some ways, what we saw was a remarkable performance by Tiger Woods.  Personally, I could care less about Tiger’s situation.  Further, I can’t understand why the major television networks interrupted their regular programming for this staged media event. The only reason this post is on the blog is because I was convinced by my team that there was some “interest” in the story.  We’ll see.

In his statement, Woods said all the right things, but as I’ve said for years, talk is cheap–show me that you “get it” through your consistent behavior.

Enough of Tiger.  What do you think?  Do you care?

Gary Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog. Gary is also the author of the new book“25 Things That Really Matter In Life.”

A Tiger’s Tale: Par For The Course

By Harold Bell

December 8, 2009

When folks were trying to define Tiger Woods’ race during the early stages of his career, he denied that he was a black man and said he was Cabilnasian.

I completely understood his premise of not wanting to overlook his mother’s Asian heritage.  There were many in the black community who took his denial as a put down to black people.  There is nowhere in his new identity “Cablinasian” that identified him as being a black man.

We all understand that he had a black father and Asian mother.  It was not like Tiger had not known racism during his early years.  He clearly remembers the bigotry he and his father faced while trying to play on public golf courses around military installations they lived on.

They were not discriminating because he was “Cablinasian,” discrimination often surfaced because they were black men.

I knew he was headed for trouble when he first announced he was “Cablinasian.” He was denying he was black despite having a black father.  Tiger had forgotten the unwritten American rule that says, “One trickle of black blood makes a man or woman totally black.”

I could not find a definition of “Cablinasian” in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary but there was a definition for Nigger.  The definition was, “a member of any dark-skinned race—usually, taken to be offensive.”

Could this be what Tiger was trying to run away from?  Trying to outrun racism in America is like trying to outrun the morning sun.

Tigers’ “transgressions” with what now looks like an army of cocktail and restaurant waitresses around the world could be the beginning of his end.

There will be no sponsors jumping ship immediately because Tiger is still their meal ticket.

Golf and chess each are mind games and the mental toll on Tiger maybe his undoing.

The legendary golfer Arnold Palmer offered Tiger some sound advice early in his career when he was just a struggling millionaire.  He confessed to Palmer “I am finding it difficult to deal with all this adulation, signing autographs, press conferences and members of the media.”

Arnold’s response was, “Tiger if you find all of this too difficult to deal with I suggest you give all the money back and become a weekend golfer with your friends.  No one will notice you then.”

Arnold Palmer was one of the most accessible legends of golf.  He would sign autographs for fans until the sun went down and never saw a press conference or reporter he did not like.  He and Muhammad Ali were two of a kind.

Tiger has let success handle him and he has not handled success.  He has a lot in common with today’s New Jack City pro athletes.  It has been all about “Me and me!”

Tiger’s “transgressions” have taken on a life of their very own.  He has become welcome comical relief for every late night comic including CBS host David Letterman. It was just several weeks ago that Letterman was walking around in Tiger’s shoes.

The tabloid newspapers and television entertainment shows (Access Hollywood, TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, etc.) are having a field day and can’t get enough.

When I said it maybe Tiger’s beginning of the end has nothing to do with his physical attributes while performing on the world’s pro golf courses.  The big test is how well his mental health holds up.

The bigots will be awaiting his every turn which should be nothing new to him.  He receives more death threats than any professional athlete.  The haters will be on the golf course testing him with all kinds of mean shouts and insults as it relates to his “transgressions.”

The haters will be hard for security to identify because they will be dressed as normal people without their hoods and robes.

The question will be, how much can Tiger’s wife and kids take, especially, the kids?

There are thousands of young people around the world that idolize Tiger.  What kind of message does his bad behavior send to them?  Kids forgive easily, but adults can be ruthless.

I remember when Sugar Ray Leonard thought he was coming home to a hero’s welcome after winning the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada.  His then future wife Juanita was pregnant and carrying his baby.  The Washington media discovered his transgression and gave him a welcome home he would never forget.

You would have thought Ray had just been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List.  The Washington media crucified him.

Sugar Ray Leonard refused to leave his house for days.   He had lost all of his self esteem.  His trainer, Janks Morton and my friend the late Melvin Jackson came to the Anacostia Tennis Courts in Southeast DC to ask me to try and talk some sense into him.  Ray and I had a unique relationship at that time and I successfully talked him out of the house.

I convinced him to go to several elementary schools with me in the DC metropolitan and talk to some kids about his Olympic boxing experiences (with his Gold Medal around his neck).  On Saturdays he would co-host Inside Sports, my radio talk show.

He slowly regained his self esteem and the rest is boxing history.  When it came to transgressions Sugar Ray could give Tiger a run for his money.

Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon wrote a column last week titled “The Company Tiger Keeps.” I hope Michael was not trying to justify Tiger’s behavior because if he were he came up short.

In the column Wilbon pointed to other famous American athletes that had traveled the same path as Tiger, like Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, Joe DiMaggio, Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady and Alex Rodriguez.

Wilbon wrote, “Whispers and innuendos followed Ruth and Louis.  TMZ and US Magazine stalked Tiger Woods.  So what?

The bottom-line is fans and today’s adults could care less.  TMZ and US Magazine care because the more sleaze, the more viewers and readers and sex is still the best seller in America.

The company Tiger kept was Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan.  It has been said “Birds of a feather flock together.”

The black caddy has become an endangered species on the pro tour since the players have to share a percentage of their winnings with their caddies.  The players now hire members of their family to carry their bags.  The caddy of color has slowly disappeared.

My high school teammate and college roommate Richard Hansberry once caddied on the tour and was the Vice-President of the Black Caddy’s Association.  He said Tiger would not even speak to the black caddies.

Tiger’s first caddy Fluff was white and when he fired him he never auditioned or sought a black caddy to replace him.  Did anyone notice that all of his female “transgressions” looked like his wife Elin?

Something is wrong with this picture!  It would make sense that if he was going to have an affair he would have found someone who had as much to lose as him.  Proving again, money does not make one smart.

Charles Barkley got it right and the monkey off of his back early, he told the world “I am not your child’s hero or role model, if I am something is wrong with you.”  Charles knew eventually his life style of women, booze and gambling, would knock on his door and it did.  NBA legend Michael Jordan was well known for his transgressions and they eventually cost him his marriage.

Patrick Ewing’s former wife Rita was heard on a news talk show saying the NBA promotes sexual misconduct.  She said, “I attended a seminar for players and their wives one year and the players were encouraged to use condoms when having sex!  Wives were not permitted to travel on the road and therefore made sex a Free Fall for the players.”

Rita told the interviewer, “No pun intended, but Tiger’s behavior is par for the course.”

If you don’t think Tiger’s behavior is par for the course you need to take look at this web page:  http://afieldnegro.com/photos.html.  I knew we had a problem but I didn’t think black men had just given up on black women.

If you think people really care about the sexual appetite of the rich and famous, let me prove my point that they don’t.

When DC Mayor for Life Marion Barry claimed “The Bitch Set Me Up.”  He was caught on camera trying to smoke cocaine through a pipe.  A little birdie warned him he was being set up but he didn’t listen.

Marion served jail time for his transgressions, and on his release he rode back into DC with a hero’s welcome.  He won another term as Mayor and is now a DC City Councilman with more added transgressions.

Let us take it up to another level with President William Jefferson Clinton.  When he was caught with his pants down in the White House Oval Office with a female aid under his desk giving him a massage, folks easily forgot.  The former President now travels the world charging and making millions of dollars for speaking engagements.

Tiger’s transgressions will not be that easily forgotten.  His road back to respectability will be difficult because so many of his colleagues have been waiting for his fall from grace.

His golfing friend who introduced him to his wife was heard to say “I wish I had never introduced them.  The next time she should use a driver on his head instead of an iron.”  I would love to be a birdie in a tree when these two meet at the next tournament.  This is one of Tiger’s tales that has no end in sight.

Footnote: Tiger’s mother-in-law who traveled from Sweden to comfort her daughter took ill after her arrival.  She was rushed to the hospital and was released after eleven hours.

Publisher’s Note:  The Urban Dictionary defines “Cablinasian” as follows: A term Tiger Woods himself made up honoring his mother as well as his father and all of his cultural heritage. Tiger is far ahead of his time in asserting that he does not need to deny any part of who he is or where he came from to satisfy others need for him to think and act a certain way just because of the color of his skin.

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger

By Gary A. Johnson

Let me start by saying that I am sick of the Tiger Woods story.  Given all that’s going on in the world, this should not be a news story, but it is.  I actually have the fortitude to ignore this story, but I have not committed myself to doing so.  It’s like when Bobby Brown had his reality show on the Bravo network.  “Being Bobby Brown” with guest appearances by his then wife Whitney Houston was a train wreck of a TV show, but I could not turn away.

So I am turning myself in.  Guilty as charged.  When I hear a news story about Tiger Woods, I admit that I stop what I’m doing and listen.  What are you shaking your head for?  You’re not much better because you reading this commentary.

Tiger Woods, golf’s “golden boy” is really caught up.  A lack of “player skills” coupled with poor advice from his management team has guaranteed Tiger will get a lump of coal in his stocking for Christmas to match the size of the reported lump on his head.  I am no choir boy by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I claim the moral high-ground on celebrity indiscretions.  I am just another “media guy” doing some “Monday morning quarterbacking” at the expense of the tainted golf legend.

The same media who elevated him to icon status appears all too happy to tear him down.  For what it’s worth, I believe Tiger’s circle of married friends are “sucking up the seat cushions” in their chairs with each passing day that this mess goes on and trust me, I think there’s a lot more to come.  “Wait!  Shhhh.  Did you hear that?  What was that?” That’s Tiger’s golfing buddies and friends crossing their fingers and hoping that their name doesn’t pop up on the Internet as being connected with this scandal.  A lot of folks are losing sleep.

The only guy who is sleeping like a baby is Derek Jeter. His sleep number is at an all time high.  I bet Jeter wakes up invigorated and refreshed.  He doesn’t have to worry about the stress of having to remember multiple stories and lies that involve his wife and friends because Derek Jeter is NOT MARRIED!

Now there’s a novel idea.  If you want to sleep with multiple women around the world and you don’t want other people to know about this, don’t get married or at least learn how to play the game.  When you are a married man whose earning potential exceeds $1 billion dollars and you sleep with cocktail waitresses, bar maids and socialites the stakes are automatically high.  Experienced players tend not to play with women who don’t have as much to lose as they do.  Nothing against cocktail waitresses, bar maids and socialites.  Most of them are fine people who have to work hard for the money.

The evidence is mounting that Tiger, in his rush to get his “freak on” was clueless, careless and reckless–and that’s just what we know this week.  Who knows what the next 10 day news cycle will bring?

Tiger, enough with these carefully prepared statements released on your web site.  Dude, you are going to have to show your face.  I imagine the reason you have not shown your face is because your wife “did a number” on your ass.  You should be commended for walking (or driving) away from a domestic squabble or fight.  Then again, had you stayed and tried to defend yourself, your wife, Elin may have stretched your ass out in the foyer like Danny Green did to Roy Jones, Jr., earlier this week. Sorry Roy, but it’s time to hang up the gloves and quit.

Elin’s actions seem to have broken the stereotype that white women who date or marry men of color, especially black men are passive and tolerate just about anything.  I don’t think so.  Recent media reports and statements from the neighbors lead me to believe that Tiger’s injuries had nothing to do with the auto accident and everything to do with Elin having taken out a can of “whup ass” when she caught Tiger texting one of his “jump offs” on Thanksgiving night.  Tiger was found at approximately 2:30 am laying on the ground with a messed up face, no shoes and snoring.  Elin wasn’t taking any shit that night.

There’s a sentence in a report on the Examiner.com web site that reads as follows:

“According to a friend of one of Tiger Woods’s mistresses, the reason that Tiger Woods cheated on his beautiful Swedish model wife was a complete lack of sex at home.”

Am I the only one who thinks Tiger’s wife is just barely OK? Every report that I’ve read describes her as beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, attractive, etc. I don’t see it. Looking at Elin reminds me of an old “Seinfeld” episode where Jerry’s girlfriend looked like a stunning beauty when standing in the light a certain way.  One slight turn and the same woman looked like a hag, I mean a real wicked witch.

I will be the first one to tell you that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.  A person can be a “5” on the outside and rank as a “10+” on the inside.  If given a choice, I’ll take the “10+” on the inside every time.  Some of these so-called “dime piece” women are breathtakingly beautiful, but come with so many issues that they are not worth being with.  Many can’t construct two sentences together while others have made multiple appearances on “Maury.” All of this spells DRAMA!

The research I’ve read reflects that the motives behind someone who cheats is not always based on sex.  I believe that.  Hang with me here.  I am not saying that sex is not a factor, but I believe that sex is not the “driving force” (no pun intended) in the majority of cases.  I think cheating has more to do with an emotional intoxication and connection between two people.  One person makes the other feel special in a way that no one else can.  Think about it.  Tiger Woods has proven that he can get sex.  I bet if you injected Tiger with “truth serum” he would tell you that his “indiscretions” have less to do with sex and more to do with a lack of a connection in his relationship with his wife due their inability to communicate.

I wish I could say with certainty that this story will go away.  I can’t do it.  I actually think the story will get worse for Tiger and become more salacious as a wider circle of celebrities get dragged into this mess due to Tiger’s inability to “play the game.”  As Allen Iverson famously said, “We talkin’ bout practice!”  In this case, there’s something to be said about practice.  The lack of “experience” and “practice” will prove to be very costly for Mr. Woods on many levels when this matter comes to an end.

Good night Derek.  Sleep tight, (you lucky bastard)!

Gary Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog. Gary is also the author of the new book“25 Things That Really Matter In Life.”

Ten Things You Could Learn from Tiger Woods

By Jimi Izrael, The Root.com

Published on The Root (http://www.theroot.com)

Created 12/02/2009 – 14:26

Playing One Game Well Doesn’t Make You A Playa, Tiger

I don’t much believe in the cult of celebrity, but sometimes you learn a lot from watching how the rich and famous live their lives.

I don’t much believe in the cult of celebrity, but sometimes you learn a lot from watching how they live their lives. As a public service, I give you…

10 Things You Could Learn From Tiger Woods

1. Variety? Not the spice of life we thought it was. It’s weird for me to look at the cavalcade of alleged mistresses [1]only to find out that they look like variations on a similar theme: Fugly. And isn’t his wife white and fugly, too? I mean, when you cheat, aren’t you looking for something you DON’T have? If you have Lays potato chips at home, you steal Doritos. You gonna go out and steal ANOTHER a bag of Lays—in Vegas? Really?
[2]

2. Domestic violence against men [2]? Whatever. We suspect Tiger was a victim [3], but we don’t know and may never know. But he has it coming … right?

3. White women are gulley, too. Not only did Elin Nordegren probably/maybe bust Tiger’s lip, but did you hear that she called the jump-off at work?! [4] That’s a prelude to a weave-pullin’, grease-splatterin’, bare-chested catfight! Say what you will, but I can’t recall an act of domestic violence coupled with a catfight that has lifted away a pervasive stereotype: From this day forward, the image of the spineless, pliant, white woman is dead. Those of us who have dated white women already knew, but let the record show: A white woman will eff you up on some BS at least as quickly, if not quicker, than a sista will.

4. Cheat within your caste. Rich guys always end up hooking up with coat-check girls, retail managers and cocktail waitresses. Not for nothing because this creates a power dynamic that makes the dalliance even that much more psycho-sexual. But choosing low inadvertantly puts the mistress on top. How? Well, if you are a rich, married man with children hooking up with a waitress, college co-ed, office assistant or aspiring actress, you have given someone power over your life who has everything to gain and nothing to lose by compromising your trust. If you have to cheat, get yourself a married woman or someone who has at least as much to lose as you.

5. Fame is the deal you make with the devil. You can’t turn it on and off.

6. You need a Ne’er Do Well in your crew. I find that no matter how high I climb up the social ladder, it’s always good to keep a Ne’er Do Well in my crew — think Rollo Larson [5] — someone who is too street to come to my cocktail parties, but street enough to advise me when I get myself in some crazy ish that may need a less-than-honorable-but-effective solution. Didn’t Rollo always seem to have a plausible lie on tap? That’s what I’m talking about.

7. White women accentuate your blackness. Tiger Woods, the monied black man surrounding himself with a bevy of below-average, dirt-road white women looks more like Polow Da Don [6] than a role model to millions. There is no racism here, and I’m sure he’d get the same kind of attention if he were Brett Favre — but only if Farve were married to a sista. It would be hard to look at this story and not see how race makes it even more titillating. The media wolves have been waiting for this day for over a decade, and his blackness has never been so apparent.

8. Playing one game well doesn’t make you a playa. Leaving messages, sexting messages, allowing pictures to be taken [7] … these are the missteps of a micro-pimp and paperback playa. Tiger obviously went to the Kwame Kilpatrick School of Infidelity. Some women call sexting “cute.” In divorce court, they call it “evidence.”

9. Tiger Woods probably reads my blog. I say this in my book [8] and wrote a joint on my blog [9] about what to do if a woman attacks you, and among the things I suggested was, even if she follows you, to get out in the open where there could be witnesses and cops can be called. And that may be what Tiger did. Political commentator extraordinaire and fellow Root-er Adam Serwer suggested back in the day the idea that women attack was “misogynist” on its face. [10] Suck it, Chad.

10. Honesty is still the first, best policy. [11]

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For sources and links visit: http://www.theroot.com/blogs/tiger-woods-car-crash/ten-things-you-could-learn-tiger-woods

The Tiger Woods Accident–Something’s Not Right About This Story

By Black Men In America.com Staff

WINDERMERE, Fla., November 29

Tiger Woods issued a statement on his web site accepting responsibility for the car accident that took place outside his Florida home.  Woods reportedly canceled his third scheduled interview with police who want to question the golf pro regarding the incident.  In his statement, Woods said he wanted to keep the details about the accident private but a Florida Highway Patrol officer said charges still were pending.

Rumors have been swirling around the Internet and on blogs spurred by an article in the National Enquirer that Woods was having an affair with Rachel Uchitel, a party maven and socialite from New York.

Some have suggested that Woods was confronted by his wife,  Elin Nordegren, about the affair and that the two got into some type of domestic squabble and the situation escalated as Tiger was leaving the house.

Comedian and talk show host Wanda Sykes discussed the accident on her talk show the day after the incident and detailed what she thinks really happened that night.  Check out Wanda’s account in the video below.

Although Woods and his people deny the affair, they have confirmed that Woods and Uchitel have met before. There were also reports that Uchitel checked into the same hotel as Woods when he was playing at a tournament in Australia.

Woods hit a fire hydrant and tree as he pulled his Cadillac Escalade out of the driveway of his house at about 2:25 a.m. last Friday on Friday, the Florida Highway Patrol said.  He was taken to the hospital with injuries and released.

“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.”

Woods’ lawyer said on Sunday that a scheduled interview at the golfer’s home with Florida troopers had been canceled.  It was the third day in a row that the Florida Highway Patrol had been denied the chance to question Woods on how his SUV had struck a fire hydrant and a neighbor’s tree.

Let me get this straight.  The police are investigating an incident and charges are possibly pending.  They schedule at least three interviews with you and you cancel.  How many times are you allowed to cancel the interview with authorities before they “strongly encourage” you and your attorney to come to the station?  As we understand it, Tiger has no legal obligation to make himself available to the police.  So perhaps it is in his best interest not to discuss the details of this incident.  However, he runs the risk of tarnishing his squeaky clean public image.

According to reports, when police arrived at Woods’ home on Friday shortly after the accident, the golfer was bleeding from the mouth and was “in and out of it for several minutes,” Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor told CNN on Friday.  Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, used a golf club to smash a window of his SUV to get him out, Saylor said.

OK.  Something seems odd about this sequence of reported events.  The wife smashed the window of the SUV to get him out?  Hmmmmm.  Media reports say the rear window of the SUV was smashed with the club.  If Tiger was behind the wheel of the vehicle in the front, why would she smash the rear window to rescue him.  We’re just asking.

The web site TMZ has posted exclusive crash photos on their web site.  Click here to see the photos.

Here is the official statement released by Tiger Woods regarding this incident.

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 do you think?  Please leave your comments at the end of this article.