It’s amazing what damage can be unraveled from a simple mishap.

Tiger Woods’ car accident – in his own driveway – has set off a ripple effect which has damaged his million-dollar persona.  Women came out of the woodworks claiming that they had affairs with the golfing phenom – to which he did not make a statement until today.

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”

“But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy.  I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.”

So, almost a week after everything went down, I guess he realized that his star status is too grand for him not to make a statement.  And he also realized that his statement better admit some wrongdoing, because if it didn’t the fallout would have been more catastrophic had the truth been discovered (which is most certainly would).

"Don't worry...my wife won't suspect anything...just look at this million-dollar smile."

What’s even funnier is the part about privacy.  If all of the drama wouldn’t have happened, then Tiger would not be “striving to be a better person” (as he also said in his statement).  He would still be the same person.  And thanks to the incident, we all got just a glimpse of who that person was…as well as what has been hidden from us.

But Tiger’s no dummy.  He must have known how difficult it would be to keep the press from digging into his personal life – even if only the smallest crack appeared in his armor.  And, boy, was it a well-constructed armor.

In a world of  instant news and peeks into the lives of athletes, Woods’ private life remained just that…private.  And with all of the rumors that are now swirling (which are seeming like they aren’t rumors at all), his public relations people have done one heck of a job for years.

Personally, I’m keeping my eye on how Woods’ sponsors are reacting.  We’re relatively early in the game here, but Nike, Gatorade and EA Sports are still backing the golf stud.  No one has jumped out to say that they are dropping Tiger.

What I remember is the Kobe Bryant saga.  Now, the comparisons are only mildly valid - mainly because Kobe was accused of rape.  The judicial system found it to be otherwise, but until then Bryant lost about every sponsor he had.  How much of his loss was because of the nasty nature of a possible rape?  Or how much of his loss was because his infidelity was made public fodder for the press?  We’ll never truly know.  But it will be interesting to watch how Woods’ sponsors choose to respond. 

Let’s see if Woods’ armor can do what armor traditionally does – protect him from the onslaught that will undoubtedly continue. 

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