Tiger Accident Clippings, Vol. 12

We're finally seeing some more thoughtful coverage from the mainstrean press as the tabloids pursue Tiger's mistresses and the dreaded digital trail he left behind.

Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell says the state attorney who denied a subpoena in the Woods accident "has a history of taking it easy on the well-heeled and influential in this town" and reviews the list of State Attorney Lawson Lamar's questionable decisions involving high profile criminal activity.

And Mike Walker at golf.com noted on this topic: "The knock is against a system where the rich and famous play by a different set of rules than the rest of us. That's the real story here, not the salacious details of Woods's personal life."

Very interesting piece by Robbie Vorhaus at Huffington Post on what is likely going on behind the scenes with Team Tiger. (Thanks reader TS.)

Up until now, Tiger Woods kept his everyday spokesperson, Glenn Greenspan, the head of communications at the Augusta National Golf Club, home to the Masters Tournament, to speak on his behalf. Without question, due to pressure from Tiger Wood's leadership team, management at IMG, all the attorneys, and probably the overwhelmed Mr. Greenspan himself, the Tiger Woods team is now in warrior mode, and need a bigger gun than Mr. Greenspan.

Every PR and crisis professional on the planet is trying to figure out how they can get their foot in the door, sending emails, faxes, text messages and Twitters to anyone connected to Tiger Woods. But it won't work.

Behind the scenes, there is more than likely a scramble to engage a large and well-resourced PR and crisis management firm, and every suggested firm is a referral from someone close and important to Tiger Woods. The PR firm winning this piece of business is already in the major leagues, will earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees, and will use this Tiger Woods engagement as their crown jewel for winning other business for years to come. As a betting man, and with no prior information or vested interest, the Tiger Woods team will probably choose either Hill & Knowlton, Burson Marsteller, or Washington-based Levick Communications.

Annika Toernqvist of SFGate.com compiles the reaction in the Swedish press while AP's Lousie Nordstrom contends that Elin's parents are used to the scrutiny due to their careers.

Lawrence Donegan takes up Elin's defense after several recent spoofs of her alleged behavior the night of the accident.

It takes a rare form of inhumanity to argue that the public's "right to know" means the public has a right to revel in the misogynistic portrayal of Elin Nordegren as the villain of the piece when she appears to be one of the main victims. Did people really fight and die for the right of porn stars to claim they had clandestine affairs with world-famous golfers and that this idle boasting would then be treated as the gospel truth.

Phil Taylor in this week's SI ponders the events of recent weeks and writes:

Just a few months ago Woods was visiting President Obama in the White House, but it's hard to imagine another invitation coming anytime soon. The golf community, well-known for its conservative mien and low tolerance for public indiscretion, will be especially slow to forgive. In short, the world's greatest golfer is used to the public's swoon, but for the first time since he joined the PGA Tour he will feel an awkward chill, anger even, and it will have nothing to do with whether people are still buying Nike gear.

Steve Elling posts and responds to a compilation of reader emails listed in chronological order, which ends up serving as a fast reminder of how many twists and turns the matter has taken as it's devolved over the past 14 days.

Michael Bamberger wasn't too taken with the suggestions that Tiger sit down with Oprah.

If he goes on Oprah, he'll really be saying, "This is about image," while mouthing words from a script for our benefit. If he doesn't go on Oprah, he'll be saying, "This is not about you, whoever you are, but about my family." He'll be showing us and, more importantly, his wife and children that they are the priority.

Alexi Mostrous of The Times says there is one beneficiary in the Woods saga: the author whose book was seen in Tiger's smashed SUV.

John Gribbin, the author of an obscure 2003 scientific manual. Get a Grip on Physics was photographed in the wreckage of Woods’s car on November 27 and has since shot up the Amazon sales rankings from 396,224th place to 2,268th.

Dr Gribbin, an astronomy professor at the University of Sussex, said he was delighted that Woods read his book, which was aimed at “non-scientists interested in big physics stories”. Only two copies of the out-of-print American edition remain on Amazon.com, selling for $75 (£46). One wag wrote on the website’s review section: “This book is great, but I wouldn’t recommend keeping it in your car. It is so good that it might distract you.”

Emily Steel and Suzanne Vranica in the WSJ try to figure out where Tiger stands with his sponsors and it may be telling who made themselves available and who didn't:

Wednesday, representatives of Nike, Procter & Gamble's Gillette, videogame maker Electronic Arts, PepsiCo's Gatorade sports drink and laser-eye surgery chain TLC Vision said their relationships with Mr. Woods hadn't changed. (Pepsi said its recent decision to drop a Gatorade product named for Mr. Wood's wasn't related to the scandal.) Jet-rental company NetJets said Monday that it continued to support Mr. Woods.

AT&T and sports-collectible retailer Upper Deck declined to comment. Consulting-firm Accenture and watch maker Tag Heuer, an LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton unit, couldn't be reached for comment.

Jessica Shambora at Fortune notes this about Tiger sponsor Gillette:

But Gillette may win the award for unintended innuendo. In an all-star ensemble campaign for the Procter & Gamble-owned megabrand, Woods appears with Roger Federer and soccer star Thierry Henry as dapper men about town, sporting black suits and sly expressions.

In a related feature on Gillette.com, Woods reveals one of his favorite gadgets is his "phone for texting." He also appears in a blurb about the importance of pre-game rituals, "whether it's getting ready for the big game or the big night out."

Oh boy.

Proving once again the folks on Wall Street have too much free time on their hands, there is now a Tiger Woods stock index now according to Bloomberg's David Wilson. Here it is.

And according to the latest Rasmussen Report, Tiger's favorable ratings have plummeted.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 38% of Americans now have a favorable opinion of the golf superstar. That’s down from 56% a week ago, shortly after the stories first broke about Woods’ auto accident. Two years ago, 83% had a favorable opinion of Woods.

In 2007, even NFL stars like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady couldn’t come close to the name recognition or favorable ratings of Woods. Manning was viewed favorably by 59%, Brady by 49% and golfer Phil Mickelson by 50%. All three men were unknown to large segments of the population.

The new data shows 49% holding an unfavorable opinion of the embattled Woods, up from 27% a week ago. The latest figures include 12% with a Very Favorable opinion and 21% with a Very Unfavorable view.

Tag Heuer says it's just a coincidence that advertising related to Tiger is disappearing in Australia, writes Chris Thomson in The Age.

SportsByBrooks readers aren't buying Stevie's story that he didn't know about Tiger's off-course activity.

Saving the worst for last, the New York Post published Tiger's text messages with Jaimee Grubbs.

Hamlet Pericles of Examiner.com tries to get to the bottom of one of Tiger's cryptic references. Yes, this is what it's come to.

The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony reference comes out of nowhere and can render a few interpretations, but two are logical: (1) because Bone is known for canceling shows and showing up late for events, perhaps his comment stems from that; or (2) because Bone is known for its rapid-fire rapping style, perhaps his comment stems from each member's quickness. The latter seems more logical.

Exactly what I was thinking. Big fan of Bones here.

Tiger was also a busy email writer and US Weekly has one in particular that speaks to a man in love.

Bits and hints about Tiger's lifestyle are starting to be dug up, like this 2005 discussion board rumor sent in by a reader.

This video posted today by TMZ is another doozy of an example, though it was in reference to his bachelor party.

And finally, cameras will be rolling soon on a film around the Tiger fiasco. You'll never look at him in that red shirt and black hat the same again. The quote from the adult film producer:

“Tyler Knight is the only actor who could play this part,” Lord said. “I thought of him immediately when we were writing the script. Once Tyler signed on, everything immediately fell into place.”

I'm sure Tyler has been waiting his entire career for this role of a lifetime. And there is certainly no shortage of material for Tyler to use in researching the role. Okay, I've lived in this town too long. I'll stop now.