Tiger Wood's First Public Remarks: Defensive and Arrogant

Tiger Woods finally faced the world this morning, nearly two months after the news of his now world famous sex scandal hit newsstands.

After watching the 13 minute speech--sportswriters and media members across the globe are analyzing it--while many of them might say it was heartfelt and sincere, I'm not buying that bs Tiger!

First of all, scripting a speech like that was a big mistake in my opinion. I would've had a lot more respect for Tiger if it wasn't scripted. It would sound more from the heart, more honest, more genuine, and more sincere. All qualities that the American public needed to see from Tiger during this trying time. This speech seemed way too prepared and too scripted.

Secondly, it's about freaking time Tiger! What in the world took you so long? You've could have saved your wife, your kids, your fans, your sponsors, and millions of other people around the world a lot of trouble if you could have addressed this whole mess months ago! Not days, not weeks, but months! Simply ridiculous. Why wait? Your wait was part of the reason there was constant speculation and rumors about what happened on Thanksgiving night.

Third, Tiger pleaded with the media, "Please leave my wife and kids alone." I'm sorry Tiger, that's never going to happen. You are the world's most recognizable athlete and you seem to think that you will somehow be given a free pass and that the media will leave you and your family alone? I don't like the paparazzi much at all, but asking the media to leave your wife and kids alone is like holding up a raw juicy steak in front of your dog's face and telling him to stop salivating--simply isn't gonna happen.

You gave up that freedom back when you first turned pro, stepped up to the microphone, smiled with your capped white teeth and said, "Well, I guess it's hello world huh?"

One of the most puzzling remarks throughout the entire speech came when Woods wanted the media to stop blaming his wife Elin.

"But there's one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame."

All I have to say about this is, "Where in the world are you coming from with this Tiger?" Who has been blaming Elin for all of this? I haven't read any articles about anybody blaming his wife for Tiger's "transgressions." Tiger, it's great that you want to protect your wife, but getting defensive in front of the media does you absolutely no good. It only comes across as arrogant and makes you look like you think you're above everybody else. Also, if Elin really did hit you, would anybody be blaming her? I'd say she'd deserve a good solid punch or two.

Tiger should just ignore what everybody says, because when you're a professional athlete or in the public spotlight, you cannot control what everybody writes or says about you or your family. You have to learn how to grow thick skin and just let it roll off your back.

This speech reveals something about Tiger Woods in its purest form--he's felt entitled his entire life. He's been placed on a pedestal by the American public--from the time he was on the Johnny Carson Show making putts when he was a little boy to his dominant days as a U.S. Amateur golfer. He admitted in his speech that he felt he worked really hard his entire life and that he felt "entitled" to indulge in all the temptations surrounding him.

The whole Tiger Woods' situation boils down to just that--over indulgence of life's pleasures. If Tiger could just admit that, it would make me respect him a lot more than discussing his return to "patient therapy" for his so-called "sex addiction." Give me a break Tiger. You mean to tell me you're addicted to sex? Okay, that's just a bunch of bullshit. There's no such thing and no sex doctor on this earth will be able to prove me otherwise. The whole "sex addiction" thing is just a stupid crutch for Tiger to rely on to help blame all of his "transgressions" on.

It makes me depressed because it makes me wonder if there is any more accountability in American society today--when the sports' world's largest and most recognizable role model--claims that he needs to act like a better role model, but fails to follow up those words with actions. Instead of blaming your problems on a ficticious idea of "sex addiction", why not just face the music and say, "I made a conscious decision to indulge in life's pleasures, I had complete control over my decisions and actions, and I am deeply sorry for the mistakes I have made." That's really all the American people needed to hear Tiger.

People appreciate honesty, Tiger. I don't think you were entirely honest in this speech. This quote bothered me somewhat, "There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever." Call me crazy, but that sounds like a hard one to believe, especially since you could consider the car crash an "episode of domestic violence".

If there is one thing in this world I cannot stand it's a liar. I don't even care if Elin hit Tiger Woods or if she didn't, one thing I cannot tolerate is him lying to the world about it. I just find it hard to believe that Tiger could crash a car coming out of his own driveway and there not be some sort of domestic dispute.

So today, marks a pretty sad day for me. I will always love Tiger Woods for his near flawless performances on the golf course, for his countless majors, for his ability to reach a level of perfection that likely won't ever be reached in the world of sports ever again. But, Tiger will never be able to gain the amount of respect I have lost for him as a man in his terrible handling of this whole scandal. You learn a lot about somebody when things are going wrong and nobody is in your corner--and today we learned that Tiger Woods continues to think he's above the rest of the world in many regards.

I will always respect Tiger Woods the golfer, but Tiger Woods the man has lost a great deal of respect with me and many people in the general public that he will ultimately never be able to regain.