Tiger's Situation

Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in history. I have tried to learn and play golf several times in my life, so I know how difficult the sport is. I admire Woods's skill, but have never been a fan of his. Last week, he was involved in a one car accident near his home in the middle of the night. Woods has said very little about this incident, which has fueled a lot of wild speculation in the media. There are a few issues that I find interesting:

1. Celebrities' privacy.
Tiger Woods is one of the most famous people in the world. Yet, we know relatively little about him. On sports radio, I have heard many comments that Woods "owes" the public an explanation of Friday morning's events. I strongly disagree with this. The only ones to whom he has such an obligation are his family and law-enforcement personnel. I assume that Tiger and his wife have had any necessary discussions. As to the police, it appears that he eventually did the minimum that was required of him. Woods doesn't owe the rest of us a thing, even if public admiration is a major reason that he has earned so much endorsement money.

2. Where was he going?
The accident occurred at about 2:30 AM on the day after Thanksgiving. Based on the amount of damage to his vehicle, this wasn't a simple bump into a fire hydrant while pulling out of his driveway. He was clearly in a hurry. Some have joked that he was in a hurry to get in line for early morning Black Friday sales. Assuming that Tiger wasn't going to wait with strangers to save 10 dollars on a television, he must have had other motives. There has been speculation that his wife, Elin, was assaulting him and he was trying to leave.

3. Domestic violence
Some tabloids have been reporting that Woods was involved in an affair. If this is true, Elin may have been reacting in a violent manner to this news. Obviously, I have no way of knowing if this is the case, but it seems like it could fit with the details of the situation that have been made public. If this is what happened, it is no laughing matter. There is no circumstance which justifies a physical attack, regardless of the gender of the parties involved. Perhaps a case like this could help shed light on a tragic crime that is sadly underreported.

4. Image
Tiger Woods seems to be very image-conscious. Therefore, it is surprising that half a week has gone by without a concerted effort on his part to control the spin of this story. So far, he has only put a short blurb on his website describing the event as embarrassing and requesting that his family's privacy be respected. His advisers surely realize that this will not end the speculation. Sooner or later, the hard questions will come.

5. Celebrity privilege
It is no secret that wealth and fame bring special treatment. By hitting a fire hydrant, Woods damaged public property and would need to speak to authorities. Even after being released from the hospital, Woods refused to speak to police for a couple of days. Here's a test for all of us regular people - go out and damage public property, then refuse to talk to police when they come to question you. Let me know how that works out. (Woods did comply with the authorities a few days later, and did what was required under state law. This involved receiving a ticket for careless driving, and presumably he will pay for any property damage).

In our age of 24-hour news, it is unlikely that we have heard the end of this story. If nothing else, there will be a lot of questions at the next golf tournament at which Woods appears. Stay tuned...