Tiger Woods Press Conference: Apology 3, But Why?

When I first heard that Tiger Woods was calling a press conference, my first guess was, "He's about to return to the golf course...maybe he'll participate in the next US Open or whatever the next big PGA event is."

Wrong?

Tiger has already apologized two times, so what was the need for another apology statement?

Tiger appeared in a room of family, friends and loyal supporters, about 40 in all. As for journalists, well, Tiger packed about 300 of them sardine-style in a separate room. Just one camera in the room where Tiger spoke at a podium.

There were no questions from reporters for the Tiger Man. Not that journalists didn't have questions for the big guy, but he basically told them to keep their questions to themselves. Only Tiger had the right to speak here. Agreed...

Tiger's statement was filled with the right "I am so sorry" language, with outright admission. "I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated..."

To which you might ask, "So what's new?"

This: "I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply...I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them."

Maybe Mr. Woods will shed a few more millions as part of his "recovery". Tiger has been in "therapy" for 45 days to "treat" his admitted sex addiction, the disease that was invented for famous guys who are caught cheating on their women.

So why did Tiger Woods put on this media blitz that's everywhere on TV and the Internet? Four motives are possible:

(1) To announce to the golf establishment and to let advertisers know Tiger is not leaving the game that made him the legend that he is. This press conference sets the stage for the imminent comeback. "I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year... I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course."

(2) To appeal to Elin Woods one more time not to end the marriage, to exonerate his of any wrongdoing or violence in this saga, and to publicly register his appreciation for how well Elin has handled his misdeeds, while remaining a caring mother to their children. "Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever." Tiger pleaded with the media to leave Elin alone. 

(3) To appease his mom that he will not abandon Buddhism, his childhood religion, to seek a "born again" experience in Christianity. Mr. Woods confessed "I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in... Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught." The long hug between Mom and Son at the end of Tiger's statement indicates this goal was achieved.

(3) To assure golf fans that steroid use has not contributed to Tiger's sculpted, picturesque physique. "Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false." Fans and supporters must have found relief in those words, as they would find it more difficult to forgive Tiger of using steroid than of sleeping with more than two dozen women.

If those were among Tiger's reasons for the show, it's hard not to say, 'Hole in one, Big Guy!' And yes, there is room in our hearts, as we, also frail and fragile mortals hear you cry, "I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again."