Tiger Woods: Wife, Mom Were "Brutal" on Him as Women Claimed Affairs
Credit: Lori Moffett-Pool/Getty Images
In his first one-on-one interview since his sex scandal broke last November, Tiger Woods said he has had a lot of "low points" over the past few months as numerous women claimed to have had affairs with him.
"Just when I didn't think it could get lower, it got lower," Woods, 34, said in the five-minute interview on ESPN's Sports Center Sunday.
He said his wife Elin, 30, and mother were "brutal" on him as more women came forward with sordid claims.
"They've both been very tough. Because I hurt them the most," he said. "Those are the two people in my life who I'm closest to and to say the things that I've done, truthfully to them, is ... honestly ... very painful."
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He said his wife was "hurt, shocked, angry, and she had every right to be" when he told her about his infidelity. "I can't believe I actually did that to the people I loved," he said.
He said that he loves Elin with "everything" he has and that is what makes the whole situation "even worse."
Asked how he is reconciling what he's done, he said: "We work at it."
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Woods said he "had gotten away from my core values ... I'd gotten away from my Buddhism. And I quit meditatitng, I quit doing all the things that my Mom and Dad had taught me. And as I said earlier in my statement, I felt entitled, and that is not how I was raised," he said.
He declined to say why he went in treatment for 45 days, explaining that it was "a private matter."
But he said the treatment helped him gain clarity on his life.
"I was living a life of a lie, I really was," he said. "And I was doing a lot of things, like I said, that hurt a lot of people. And stripping away denial and rationalization, you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be very ugly. But then again, when you face it and you start conquering it, and you start living up to it, the strength that I feel now. ... I've never felt that type of strength."
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He said he's made "mistakes and as I've said, I've hurt so many people and so many people. I have to make amends to. And that's living a life of amends."
He said he is "nervous" about the reception he'll receive when he returns to professional golf at the U.S. Masters on Apr. 8, his first appearance since November.
"It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there," he said. "But I also hope they clap for birdies too."
Tell Us What You Think
77I just don't think it's anyone business what he's going through. You've got a lot of men out there who commit infidelity all the time and no one seems to care. I just hope the best for Tiger and Elin.
This guy gets on my nerves! If you're going to make a speech, at least write it yourself. It was the most unsincere speech in the world. No tears, no sadness, just a guy who doesn't want to admit his faults. I'm sorry my ass... Elin is sad to be taking him back, but i guess she was no better before him... being a nanny to Tiger Woods wife. I guess she couldn't let go of the lifestyle. Goodluck to the both of you, you'll need it!
I hope him and his wife will be happy once more someday. Everybody makes mistakes, everybody is sinful and can be forgiven, as The Lord has forgiven us. :)
To "Some Guy:" What's wrong with you? You think a marriage is based soley on looks? Rachel is "hawter" than Elin? You can't even spell a word that a second-grader could spell. Marriage is not about who is "hotter." It's about finding your one love, your soulmate, your best friend and lover, and building a life together. It's about accepting the person for who they are, not just looks. And, by the way, Elin is gorgeous, a very classy looking lady. People who fall in love and stay together grow old together and accept the changes in their faces and bodies. It's emotional ties that bind people together 'til one of them dies, not just "hot" looks. You sound like an extremely immature man, and I'm using that term loosely here. Either that, or you are 14 years old. Grow up.
Tiger has always been in love with Elin who is a classy lady. Tiger has been out of his mind because he is afraid that Elin will divorce him. He will never never let her go on his own will.Tiger will never recover if he looses Elin!I hope that things can work out for both of them.
Awww. Tiger, is your bubble so insulated that you thought they WOULDN'T be rough on you? Down here in the real world, sometimes men get shot! So quit your whining, we don't feel sorry for you.
There is no such thing as sex addiction. Tiger chose not to be faithful to his wife and now has to accept whatever consequences these actions have. That's for Elin and his sponsors to decide. End of story.
I'm fed up with comments made by ignorants people saying that Elin is a goldigger and never loved Tiger. Well she kept a pretty low profile during the marriage and I have never heard something negative about her - I have followed Tiger's career for more than 10 years and Elin was faithful,supportive and behaved very well in her husband's shadows. The way he treated her is miserable. It speaks volume about his character. My dad always used to tell me - the best thing a father can do to his children is to love their mother. Mr Woods never cared about his kids. If it wasn't for this accident nobody would have knew about the extent of his numerous affairs. What he did to the mother of his children is lower than the low. He cheated on his wife while she was pregnant for God's sake and there are people who keep making excuses for this jerk !!!!!! In what kind of world do you live in ? He deserves everything he gets and I hope this is just the beginning. He has to be accountable for his poor choices for the rest of his life. The greatest test of all will come the day he will have to explain to his children "his transgressions". I wouldn't like to be in his shoes because this is going to be hurtful and pretty scary to say the least. Yeah Mr Woods great legacy you left. Was it worth it thoses stupid b-tches and sk-nks who sold you for money. I used to be a huge fan of yours but not anymore. You don't deserve a gorgeous, classy and elegant wife like Elin. You don't deserve to have such a beautiful family. You deserve to go to the gutter with your harem of trashy bimbos.. Think about it Mr Woods was it worth it ??????
Elin give Tiger a second chance...after all he is only a MAN...let the Lord be the Judge and jury....all those talking are all hypocrics..they all have skeletons in their closets
He said that he loves Elin with "everything" he has... I'm sorry, but that's not love. He loves the image not the family. You just don't cheat repeatedly the way he did and love the person your cheating on. The whole world knows the truth behind his farce "fake" happy family now. He doesn't love her, he loves the "idea" of her. IT IS NOT LOVE WHATEVER IT IS. IT MAY BE A PAYOFF FOR HER BUT ITS NOT LOVE FOR HIM.
Pathetic man and a pathetic wife. She thinks she can trust him????? A Tiger does not change it's stripes.
Raise your hand if you're sick of Tigre...
He was not living the "life of a lie". He is now living the life of by not being able to run around like wants to. Just like Jesse James went back to tatted up skan$s, this man WILL revert to this behavior. This so called "marriage" is doomed.
If Tiger Woods didn't have a car accident you would never know about his mistresses.. It is no ones business how that car accident happened..
Shut up sex addict........
His wife has every reason to treat him "brutally"! Who knows how many other women he slept with that didn't want to sell their stories! I don't agree with her decision to stay with him, but it's not my marriage. In my opinion, once that trust is gone, it's GONE. And very rarely does a cheating man (or woman) just stop, even with professional help. Look at all types of addicts - there is a high rate of relapses.
Believe it - you did it you scumbag! I do not think much of your wife for going back with you - well for the timebeing until you continue to screw around on her...
yea...go back to buddhism... that's something positive -- un freakin believable. just go away! i hope erin dumps your @ss. "latty"...so if your wifes' not dying of cancer...it's OK TO HAVE AFFAIRS...AND CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE? that's the dumbest thing i've ever heard. I'll laugh my @ss off if he got some kind of STD.
Blah Blah.... poor thing... he had poor judgement when he had sex with all those women... he only had poor judgement because he got caught. Go Away Tiger...you're not worth the air you are consuming. You're nothing but a lying man-whore.
tiger woods is a PIMP