Tiger Woods was involved in a minor traffic accident--a one-car fender bender-- that started on his own property and ended with his own injuries, and he's not talking about it. Actually, Tiger turned down a request by the Florida police to interview him about the incident three times. Instead of focusing on our country's top golfer's injuries (he was knocked unconscious, cut and bruised) and whether they could affect his game, the media and celebrity bloggers are salivating over a different question, "If he won't talk about the car crash, then what is he hiding?"
For the first time in a long time, a celebrity has decided not to publicly spin his side of the story, and it's driving people crazy. Tiger's silence is making bigger headlines than the more commonly orchestrated admissions, confessions, mea culpas, and caught-on-tape forced disclosures we regularly see in celebrity scandals. That is because the alleged back-story in this case is that Tiger and his wife had an alleged domestic dispute over an alleged affair, and that she, rather than the car collision, might have caused his injuries.
Many believe Tiger's silence implies his wife did something wrong at home and he did something wrong behind the wheel. But the golf great is not legally required to talk to police about this incident. Neither he or his wife are the subject of a criminal investigation, and he is not impeding police action by refusing to meet them for an interview. There were no other injuries or damage to other vehicles, and there's no suspicion that Tiger was driving under the influence. By saying nothing, what Tiger is really saying is that the reasons for his 2 a.m. crash and why he lost control of his SUV are none of our business.
I can tell you as an attorney, that in the end, the only charge he'll probably be found guilty of is not DWI, but DWA, Driving While Angry. We should stop judging him for deciding not to let the Florida Highway Patrol and the media into his private life. Just because Tiger Woods is an international celebrity, does not mean that his involvement in a minor auto collision, which has no reflection on his personal character, integrity, or standing in his profession, should obligate him to give the world entrée into his personal life.
Tiger Woods backed out of his driveway, lost control of his car, and sought medical treatment for his injuries. End of story. There is nothing else relevant for him to talk about. He doesn't need to defend himself. He doesn't need to fuel rumors and innuendo about the state of his marriage by filling out a publicly disseminated police accident report. He does not owe the police or the world a statement. And if he chooses to live aspects of his private life in private without blabbing to the media, or tweeting his every trivial life activity or detail, that's his prerogative. And I, for one, respect him for it.