Woods breaks silence, admits “transgressions” on website

Tiger Woods has given in to pressure and speculation surrounding the events that lead to his late-night one car accident and subsequent hospitalization last week, making a statement on his website.

Woods didn’t come out and admit an affair per se, but he conceded “transgressions” in the statement and hinted at “personal sins” while knocking the gossip mill churning around his family life. The news comes as loose lipped other woman, 24-year-old waitress Jaimee Grubbs, released voicemails from Woods to US Weekly that cast Woods’ actions in a suspicious light. The message, apparently dated November 24th, asks Grubbs to conceal her identity on an outgoing message to circumvent Woods’ wife from learning her identity:

“Hey it’s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor,” Woods says in the message. “Can you please, uh, take your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone and may be calling you. If you can, please take your name off that and, um, what do you call it, just have it as a number on the voicemail. Just have it as your telephone number. You have to do this for me. Huge. Quickly. Bye.”

While the other other woman, Rachel Uchitel, categorically denies being a side dish for the famous golfer, Grubbs has no such qualms and disclosed an alleged 20 sexual encounters and hundreds of instances of sexting to the gossip magazine. Woods doesn’t refer to Grubbs by name or confirm relationships with any specific women. Full text of Tiger Woods’ statement from his blog, below:

I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. 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. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.

Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.