Tiger Woods is refusing to offer up specific details about the car crash Friday that set off a slew of rumors about his marriage to Elin Nordegren.
It hardly comes as a surprise, considering that the athlete, 33, is known to be fiercely guarded when it comes to his personal life (he named his 155-foot yacht "Privacy").
But fellow athletes urge Woods — who has blown off three meetings with authorities — to come clean.
"I just hope he tells his side of the story about what happened," his pal, ex-NBA star Charles Barkley, tells the New York Post. "You've got to face the music, because it is what it is. Not talking about it can make it worse."
PR experts also caution that Woods should avoid the appearance of lying or covering up what happened.
"There's only two things worse than whatever really happened outside Tiger Woods' house: speculation and the appearance of a cover up,” said David Eichler, founder and creative director for David and Sam PR in Phoenix. “When you make a billion dollars by being a celebrity you have no privacy. No matter how egregious the truth is, Tiger's camp would be well served to learn from history and not try to run, hide or pretend they don't owe the public the truth."
"He's making it look like he has something to hide," said Peggy Rose of Boston-based Peggy Rose Public Relations. "If he made a mistake, admit it and move on. How he reacts will determne his future image."
In a statement Sunday, Woods said, "This is a private matter, and I want to keep it that way." He also failed to address reports that he had a fling with New York nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. (She denies an affair.)
Woods is set to host his Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif., which benefits his foundation. A news conference is slated for Tuesday, but it is unclear if Woods would still play, or even attend.
