Tiger Woods Finally Makes a Public Statement

After over two months of speculation and wondering where he was, Tiger finally came out of hiding. What we got was more of the same old Tiger.

Speaking for a little over 10 minutes, Tiger Woods finally addressed the world at large today. He revealed he had been in in-patient therapy for 45 days. He will also be returning to therapy beginning tomorrow. He repeatedly stressed there was no domestic violence in his marriage. And he asked the media to leave his family alone.

What Tiger did not say was anything personal. He never talked about exactly what happened. He never said how many times he cheated on his wife, instead refering to "affairs" and giving in to temptation. These are things we may never know the whole truth on, and we are left with almost as many quaestions as we had before.

Walking out to a podium in a room full of what he refered to as "freind," Tiger wore a suit with no tie. It was a look designed to appear relaxed, but ultimately looked stiff on him. It went along perfectly with his demeanor, which seemed mostly robotic and emotionless. But if you looked hard enough, you could see the one emotion under it all: anger.

What we got in Tiger's first public appearance since Thanksgiving was what we always got from Tiger: a private person who hates being in the spotlight away from the golf course. When apologizing to his fans, he stared directly into the camera, his face saying " I don't want to do this, I have to." He appeared angry that he had to address rumors about his personal life, and his personal failings. He was angry that his business partners were doubting him. And he was angry that the media had been following his family.

Again, we go back to the old Tiger Woods. Ever since an Esquire story early in his career painted him in a negative light, Tiger has had a tenuous relationship with the media. It has led to a life where he controls who is around him, when they're around, and what they write about him. He only lets certain people interview him, and even then, rarely. He sold pictures of his newborn children rather than be hounded by photographers. He has spent much of his professional life trying to control that which he can't control.

What we saw today was the worst of Tiger Woods. At a time when he could have settled much of the controversy around him, he instead surrounded himself with people who wouldn't press him for answers. When he could have appeared humble, he instead came off as cocky and angry at the media he feels caused his current situation. And when he could have shwon a family working to repair the damage, he instead hugged his mother and shook hands with some friends in the audience, his wife and children nowhere in sight.

Tiger has a long road ahead of him. He returns to therapy tomorrow, and hasn't ruled out a return to the PGA Tour this year. Though he had trouble getting the words out, he apologized to his famliy, his friends, his business partners, and his fans. He stressed a commitment to charity. A Buddhist upbringing, which he said he shied away from in recent years, will be his guiding strength for the rest of his life. We don't know when we'll see Tiger again, but we know we haven't seen the last of him on the golf course.