Tiger Woods announced a leave from professional golf to work on saving his family, using the word “infidelity” for the first time in a statement on his Web site.Asking for understanding from his fans, business partners and fellow competitors on the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods announced on his Web site Friday that he would take an “indefinite break from professional golf” to try to rebuild his personal life.
Woods, the top-ranked golfer in the world, has not been seen in public since crashing his SUV into a neighbor’s tree in an early morning accident on Nov. 27. He has spent the last two weeks in his Orlando, Fla., area home, recovering from injuries and hearing a flood of reports of marital infidelities linking him to multiple women that has swamped the worldwide airwaves.
Woods and his wife, Elin, have been married for five years and have a 2-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son.
Earlier this year, Woods became the world's first athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings, according to Forbes magazine.
Bloomberg News reported that Woods’s image was taken down Friday from the homepage of the Web site for Accenture Plc., the consulting company that has used him in its marketing since 2003.
Nike, another Woods sponsor, issued a release that said: “Tiger has been part of Nike for more than a decade. He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era. We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike’s full support.”
There were no immediate reactions from Woods’s other sponsors, including AT&T, Gillette, Tag Heuer watches and Gatorade.
This is a transcript from Tiger Woods' website:
Tiger Woods taking hiatus from golf
By Tiger Woods
I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try.
I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What's most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.
After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.
Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.
Sources:
NY Times - Woods Says He’ll Take Break, But How Long is ‘Indefinite’?
The Star - Tiger Woods takes 'indefinite' leave from golf because of 'infidelity'
{色 sè} This is a Chinese word for 'sex' with a profound meaning. On top of the word '色 sex' there is a knife so be extra extremely careful OK. The world's two greatest sporTsmen ~ Mike Tyson & Tiger Woods were both "knifed". So people, think of the "knife" first when the thought of naughty "sex" arises.
ReplyDeleteGot to give Tiger Woods some credit for giving up golf to save his marriage, though his infidelity was a main reason.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, Edison Chen came to mind.
Good bye Tiger wood! Like we care. :p
ReplyDeleteBananaz, very sound advice here and thanks for the Chinese lesson. I'm always fascinated by Chinese written words because if you closely study each one, you'd be able to more or less grasp the true meaning of the word. It's a pity though that the short-form is gaining popularity. It's akin to destroying linguistic history. Sad.
ReplyDeleteShingo, yeah, probably the wisest thing he's done.
ReplyDeleteAnd Edison Chen's case is akin to a tsunami which messed up quite a few lives. Like the aftermath of a tsunami, life goes on..
Tekkaus, on the contrary, a lot of people care. Most of us are too small, too far down the link that we do not feel the ripple.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad for Tiger Woods that this happened. So now we all know he's no saint. People who look up to him might be disappointed with him. But, I think Tiger is human too and he should be given space to sort things out.
ReplyDelete