Woods Accident Clippings, Vol. 2
/Corey Dade and Reed Albergotti of the Wall Street Journal share new details about the 911 call:
Friday at 2:28 a.m., a neighbor of the Woodses was awakened by the sound of the crash and called 911, according to Jim Solomons, a spokesman for the Orange County sheriff's office. Mr. Solomons said the man, whose name hasn't been released, walked out of his home and saw Mr. Woods on the ground and visibly injured.
Mr. Solomons said the recording of the 911 call reveals that the neighbor "wanted help" and told the 911 operator that "there's a man on the ground."
A transcript of the 911 recording shows that the caller said Mr. Woods appeared to be unconscious but breathing as he lay beside his black Cadillac Escalade. Police arrived at 2:33 a.m.
In a telephone interview, Woods' father-in-law, radio journalist Thomas Nordegren, told The Associated Press in Stockholm that he would not discuss the accident.
"I haven't spoken to her in the last few ... " Nordegren said about his daughter, Elin, before cutting himself off. "I don't want to go into that."
Susan Jacobson of the Orlando Sentinel shares this new information about the car and which windows were broken by Elin with help from a golf club:
The 2009 Cadillac Escalade sustained $5,000 to $8,000 in damage to the front right and left, troopers said. The left and right rear side passenger windows were also broken out, but the FHP hasn't determined how that happened, Montes said.
TMZ.com continues to assert their theory from sources that "Tiger told a friend that his wife went ballistic at around 2:00 AM yesterday and scratched his face up -- all because of reports he allegedly had cheated on her. He left the house, started driving away and she attacked the SUV with a golf club," which led him to get distracted and hit the hydrant. They also note these reasons for the Florida Highway Patrol's continued interest:
If Tiger and his wife acknowledge she scratched him up, she could be arrested for domestic abuse. And, as we first reported, Tiger told his friend he had been taking prescription painkillers and that was why he seemed out of it after the crash. Although we're told there was no alcohol involved (and that seems to be the case), driving under the influence of painkillers could be a problem, if it's provable.
By the way ... one of the things the Highway Patrol wants to see is the marks on Tiger's face, and whether they are consistent with scratch marks or impact on a car. As we reported, there was no blood on the steering wheel, making the accident scenario suspicious. But if the marks indicate a human touch and they last for a few days, we're guessing Tiger will not show up at his golf tourney on Thursday.
TMZ also claims to have a source calling themselves a friend of Tiger--soon to be former friend--who recounts a Friday conversation in which says Elin had "gone ghetto" on him and that he had to run to Zales to buy a "Kobe special." (The story includes an explanation for those of you like me deficient in hipster speak.)
On the column side, the approaches vary but the theme is pretty simple: this is not Tiger's finest hour but with some shrewd PR management, he can put this episode behind him pretty quickly.
Art Spander writes:
When Tiger Woods was rolling along a few years ago, winning majors, winning minors, winning everything, the great Dan Jenkins predicted lightheartedly nothing could stop Tiger except an injury or a bad marriage.
No one is laughing any longer.
Jay Busbee at Yahoo writes:
It's not often that Tiger Woods gets outplayed. But it's happening right now.
In the hours since his early-Friday-morning accident, facts, innuendo and supposition have combined to put a minor one-car bump in a cloistered Florida subdivision onto front pages worldwide. Why? Because this story presses all the necessary buttons: celebrity, sex and violence. And if it's left to grow on its own, it's going to get much worse before it gets any better.
Jason Sobel at ESPN.com believes its time for Tiger to speak:
On this occasion, however, playing it close to the vest should only prove to be a disadvantage. He will not own an intimidation factor over his peers by clouding the facts; he will not garner any more lucrative sponsorship deals by remaining surreptitiously coy.
Instead, for perhaps the first time in his professional career, Tiger Woods needs to come clean.
Michael Bamberger believes if history is an indication, Woods won't be fessing up to anything soon.
He's never made any claims to sainthood. He never claimed to know God better than you or me, never claimed abstinence from adult spirits, never claimed to be leading a perfect life. Now we know he's not.
James Corrigan wonders about next week's tournament at Sherwood and writes:
What is certain is that if Woods does enter that media room, the awaiting throng will be bigger than for most majors. The galleries lining the fairways would likely swell just as much. In that sense, Woods would have done one hell of a job as the tournament promoter. Even for this spotlight-hogger, the focus would be unprecedented.
Bill Elliott of the Guardian reviews Tiger's various bouts with the media and feels like he finally has an explanation for Tiger's recent on-course attitude:
There is, however, another fact to be inserted and it is this: in 2009 Woods, returning after several months off, recuperating from a major knee operation, has been a strange amalgam of surliness and discontent. Often in the past he has appeared sulky when events have not bent to his will on this course or that; on occasion he has been ill-tempered; but this year there has been something else and it has been hard to pin it down.
And notes this about his relationship with the media:
Of course, the more he tries to manipulate the agenda while his advisers suppress much that would be innocently interesting about such a high-profile personality, the more the media seize on titbits and gossip and often get it wrong. So we are now in a vicious circle and one that can only end in tears. Whether this is that time is unclear. It just might be. Whatever happens, Woods knows that he has unprecedented power as a sportsman.
David Walsh in the Times chalks much of the negative press to this point on lousy IMG crisis management:
Even Woods’s polished agent, Mark Steinberg, and the finest minds at the IMG management company will have their work cut out to spin this story in a way that enhances the reputation of their most famous client. IMG has played no small part in presenting the hugely talented Woods as a man in control of his world.
Randell Mell sums up the view of many on Saturday's decision to punt:
Woods may have an innocent explanation about what happened, but his declining to meet with Florida Highway Patrol officers for a second consecutive day on Saturday only fuels speculation that does Woods no service.
This is Woods’ nightmare.
No matter how innocent his explanation as to what happened early Friday morning may be, he’s enduring a media onslaught the likes of which he’s never seen. In fact, it rivals anything golf has ever seen.
Larry Dorman and Liz Robbins of the New York Times talk to crisis management experts and not surprisingly, they aren't impressed with the Team Tiger/IMG response so far.
Woods may have an innocent explanation about what happened, but his declining to meet with Florida Highway Patrol officers for a second consecutive day on Saturday only fuels speculation that does Woods no service.
And on a lighter note, The Times ends their main story (titled "Crouching Tiger, hidden hydrant") with the various jokes floating around the web:
Perhaps Tiger should have used a driver
That’s the first time Tiger Woods has failed to drive 300 yards
Tiger Woods drives into a water hazard
After a wayward drive, Tiger Woods found water before nestling behind a tree.
Tiger Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree ... he couldn’t decide between a wood and an iron.
I find it’s a nightmare driving at 2.05am: sometimes you can’t see the Woods for the trees.
Tiger Woods has been dropped by Gillette after admitting that his crash was the closest shave he had ever had
U tell yr wife everything? My wife thinks I’m at the office. I tell her I’m playing golf when I’m with another woman
Apparently, the only person who can beat Tiger Woods with a golf club is Elin.
Tiger’s wife went for him over a birdie.
What was the second worst part of Tiger’s car accident? The police found the driver in the trunk.
Tiger Woods owns several cars; it’s a shame that he got a hole in one
Here's ESPN's latest report filed by Tom Rinaldi:
