WOODS: ‘I WAS WRONG, I WAS FOOLISH’
TIGER WOODS is heading back to rehab after taking time out from sex addic= tion therapy to address his fans, friends and the media about his bad beh= aviour in relation to a series of infidelities, which hit the headlines l= ast year (Nov09).
During a 15-minute press conference at TPC Sawgrass, the home of the Pr= ofessional Golf Association Tour, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the spor= tsman spoke to a select, invitation-only group of friends, peers and jour= nalists.
With his mother seated directly in front of him and wife Elin Nordegren= nowhere to be seen, a stoic Woods said, "Many of you in this room are my= friends, many in this room know me, many of you have cheered for me, wor= ked with me or supported me. Now, every one of you has good reason to be = critical of me… I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish beha= viour I engaged in." Woods cheated on his wife with a string of mistresses. The National Enq= uirer exposed the first, Rachel Uchitel, in November, and the news of the= golfer’s infidelity prompted others - including porn stars and waitresse= s - to come forward.
He told those gathered at the press conference that he and Nordegren "h= ave started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behaviour." He added, "As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not c= ome in the form of words. It will come from my behaviour over time." Woods went on to apologise to his business partners and employees, acce= pting his behaviour was "a personal disappointment" to them, before addin= g, "I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the thing= s I did. I’m embarrassed that I have put you in this position. For all th= at I have done, I am so sorry." The press conference took an angry turn when Woods discussed the media’= s spotlight on his family following the news of his disgrace last year.
Addressing reports he crashed his car into a tree while attempting to e= scape an angry, golfclub-wielding Nordegren on Thanksgiving night last ye= ar (Nov09), Woods snarled, "Some people have speculated that Elin somehow= hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people woul= d fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other = night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marria= ge." He then defended his wife and praised her for her "enormous grace and p= oise throughout this ordeal." Woods also attempted to explain how he justified his cheating ways to h= imself: "I knew my actions were wrong but I convinced myself that normal = rules didn’t apply… I thought only about myself… I felt that I had wo= rked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around= me. I felt I was entitled." He also apologised to parents who have used Woods as a role model for t= heir kids, stating: "I owe all those families a special apology." The sports star then briefly addressed the 45 days he spent in rehab fr= om late December (09), explaining he was in "in-patient therapy receiving= guidance for the issues I’m facing," adding, "I have a long way to go." His anger reared up again as he reprimanded the media for hounding his = family while he was receiving treatment, accusing journalists of making u= p stories about him. The defiant golfer raged, "Some people have made up = things that never happened; they said I used performance-enhancing drugs.= This is completely and utterly false.
"Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have do= ne, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotl= ight… My behaviour doesn’t make it right for the media to follow my two= -and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school’s location.= They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom… Please leave my wife = and kids alone." Woods revealed he has returned to Buddhism in a bid to fix his problems= , explaining he was raised a Buddhist and the faith’s teachings had becom= e useful to him in recent weeks - since the news of his infidelities brok= e.
He said, "Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves = causes an unhappy and pointless search for security; it teaches me to sto= p following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track= of what I was taught." Woods closed the press conference by telling those gathered he was dete= rmined to save his marriage and look after his children after completing = his rehab, adding, "I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t kno= w when that day will be. I don’t rule out that it will be this year." Refusing to take questions from the media, Woods asked his fans and fri= ends to "find room in your heart to one day believe in me again," before = stepping down from the podium and giving his mother a long hug.
He then personally thanked family and friends seated in the front row o= f the press conference before exiting.
It was the disgraced sportsman’s first public appearance since he went = into hiding after announcing a hiatus from golf and public life following= the news of his infidelity in November (09).
He resurfaced at a sex addiction clinic in Mississippi last month (Feb1= 0) after a reported trip to South Africa.
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