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- WSJDECEMBER 2, 2009, 1:12 P.M. ET
Woods Apologizes to Family, Regrets 'Transgressions'
By COREY DADE
Three days after Tiger Woods denounced as false the flood of speculation surrounding his auto accident, including news reports of his alleged infidelity, the golfer on Wednesday apologized for "transgressions" that "let my family down."
Mr. Woods, who hasn't spoken publicly since the crash last Friday, released a statement on his Web site, regretting "personal behavior" that he didn't specify. He also bemoaned he and his wife, Elin Nordegren, having been "hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives" and insisted that his family be allowed to cope privately.
"I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves," he said in the statement. "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."
Last Friday, Mr. Woods crashed his sport-utility vehicle into a fire hydrant and a tree outside his home in an Orlando, Fla., suburb at 2:25 a.m. He was found lying on the ground semiconscious beside his vehicle, bleeding from facial cuts, according to police. His wife told police she broke a window in the vehicle with a golf club to remove him.
Mr. Woods and his wife refused to talk with police investigating the crash and hired a criminal defense attorney.
Their silence fueled questions about why he was leaving his home at that hour, the extent of his injuries and whether the accident followed some sort of dispute.
In his statement Wednesday, Mr. Woods directly refutes that theory for the first time. "The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious," he said.
Police said alcohol wasn't involved. An attorney representing Mr. Woods's neighbors who dialed 911 after the crash said Mr. Woods didn't appear to be driving under the influence and showed no signs of having been in a fight.
On Tuesday, the Florida Highway Patrol closed its investigation and issued Mr. Woods a citation for careless driving, for which he will receive a $164 fine and four points against his driver's license. Police also said no claims of domestic violence were made in the case, providing no reason to issue a subpoena for medical evidence.
On Monday, Mr. Woods withdrew from his own golf tournament, scheduled to begin Thursday, citing his injuries.
Write to Corey Dade at corey.dade@wsj.com
Perhaps.Valkenar wrote:
Think you mean Akil?
