What Tiger Woods Said

This Tiger Woods was different than I expected. Yesterday, I wrote what I thought Tiger would say. Turns out I was wrong. So let me give credit where it is due; he did better than I expected.

Pluses

He didn't play the victim card. Shocking. He didn't once say addiction or sickness. He said he needed help but took the full brunt of responsibility. That is a positive.

Kobe famously said he "committed the mistake of adultery." Tiger did not try to hide behind well-crafted phrases. He said "affairs" and "cheating." Again, shocking but again a plus for someone who realizes he was out of control.

A plea to tabloids to leave his family alone. Fair enough, but it is not likely to happen. As the Nobel Laureate John Rambo once said, "You just don't turn it off."

Denials

Elin never hit him: I do not believe it. Too much evidence says otherwise.

Also, he said Elin deserves praise not blame. Ummm, who is blaming Elin for beating you while you were sleeping and then hitting you with a pitching wedge? I have not met one person who thinks she was out of line. You deserved it, dude.

He never took performance enhancing drugs. That is in response to this story linking Tiger to a controversial doctor who provides clients with HGH. If we have learned one thing regarding PEDs, words mean nothing until you are under oath. Tiger literally said "he believed he could do anything and not get caught. that he was entitled. that he lived by a different set of rules." He was out of control and felt above the law. (It may be equivalent to Pete Rose admitting he bet on baseball but never on the Reds - of course, before eventually admitting he did bet on the Reds.) To rule this out is simply naive.

Bart`s People Topics

His foundation educating millions. His Buddhist upbringing. Hugging his Mom after his speech. That is simply grandstanding, feel-good crap. Well and good, but irrelevant.

Surprises

He didn't announce his comeback. I can't believe it. He is going back to rehab and not playing. If he misses the Masters, then I will begin to wonder if he ever comes back to be effective.

Summary

Some hits, some misses, but overall he was far more humble, remorseful, and honest than I expected. Most importantly, he did this with nothing to gain except clearing his conscience and facing the truth.

I always assumed, after all this time, he would wait until he absolutely had to talk, just before he returned to the PGA tour. Not so. He must have done this because the therapy is working and they convinced him to speak in public, confront the issues, and come to grips that this really happened.