Yes, Tiger is a world wide celebrity. As such, he is open to extreme public scrutiny for his actions, successes and failures (on and off the course),and the representations for his sport and sponsors. He has never been one to give great speeches or interviews, why would you expect any different in such a devastating situation as this?

But, he is also a human being, a person, a man that screwed up. He’s not the first and won’t be the last. The world (and especially the press) has its eyes on the wrong ball. This is a personal matter between Tiger and his wife and family. No one else. Unfortunately, since Tiger is such a celebrity the press and the media over time has made such events everyones business, right or wrong. There has been untold numbers of men (and women)that have been in Tigers situation and most of them have had to make the same apology. I have been one of them. There is no easy way to do it. I realize it has to do with integrity and trust since he was married, but simply put, had Tiger been a single man, his escapades with multiple women over several years would not have really mattered or be considered a “sexual addiction”.

In my opinion, the ultimate answer to your question is “It’s none of our business” It is a matter between Tiger and Elin and we should leave them alone to try to repair THEIR damages.

Truth be told – a year from now nobody will much care no matter what he says, or doesn’t say. I find that perhaps the most regrettable idea of all.

I love your books, blog and all you do. Thank you!

As I mentioned, perception is reality in the mind of the perveiver. There are a lot of different takes on this experience with Tiger. He IS such a controlled person that his emotions could be a sham – which I indicate – but I don’t think so. It remains to be seen, heard, and felt.

I’m not a fan of such a prepared press conference either, but at an event of this stage, you make compromises and consider the person involved. Tiger Woods went a long way out of his comfort zone in this one. One hopes he can go yet further – I agree with you that he has to.

But he did cover the bases:
* admitted multiple affairs and need for therapy (albeit without mentioning ‘sexual addiction’ which he should have. It is what it is.)
* was going back to therapy
* is working on his marriage (and at this stage it wasn’t necessary to say why Elin wasn’t there. Kind of obvious, she’s not sold yet, but is also not divorcing yet.)
* will be coming back to golf (probably this year)

Thanks for your comments.

Bert

1. “He apologized.” Yes, he did, several months after his deplorable behavior was made public. If he felt that owning up to his mistakes through a public apology was necessary, it could have been done immediately. Did he really need that long to realize what he did was wrong and think about how to address it?

2. “He was authentic and sincere.” I perceived the exact opposite. The occasional stare into the camera was certainly dramatic, but it smacked of professional coaching not sincere emotion.

3. “He covered the bases.” Which ones? What questions do you feel he answered? Your statement is rather vague. Perhaps I’ll respond differently if you are more specific on this point.

I’m not a fan of the prepared statement, press conference apology. Fold up the paper and speak to me from the heart, Tiger, if that is truly where you are coming from. So what if you stumble around a little and don’t appear as polished. At least then I won’t be left with the feeling that this has all been manufactured by an army of big-dollar crisis management experts.

Thanks for kicking off the conversation, Bert.

Best,
Bryon

He had to do something – and though all experts and pundits (including me and you) would have him do some things differently, it was a good first step.

When you’re deep in a well and muddy and sweaty, when you first come out you’re still dirty and sweaty. This begins to wipe the mud off. We’ll see whether the shower is working.

Bert