Tiger Woods duffed his practice swing. Now he gets a second chance.
When his double life was revealed to the public a month ago, Woods failed on his first attempt at crisis response. He offered a half-baked admission that was more a lament about the perils of text-messaging than a heartfelt apology. He addressed a most personal issue not in person, but with a statement on his website.
Woods’ misadventures have touched off an avalanche of speculation and satire. Not a good place to be, especially for the world’s most famous athlete, a guy who lives in the very public domain of professional golf.
But now Woods has a chance to tee it up again. Tiger, here’s what you should do. Hold a press conference and tell your story.
1. Remind people that you have already admitted to unfaithful behavior. Leave it at that.
2. APOLOGIZE, to your family, your friends, your competitors, your fans.
3. Talk about what you have done to address your weakness – not in detail, but enough to show your commitment.
4. Emphasize the future. Say that your focus is on your family. Briefly address your family’s status. Nobody’s business? You’ve made it everybody’s business.
5. Talk about your passion to rejoin the tour and play at your best.
6. Stress that this is behind you now. That you will not talk about the past. That from now on, the focus is on the future, and Tiger Woods, the golfer.
7. Do not take questions.
This will be a painful ten minutes. But it’s like the old Fram Oil Filter ad. You can pay me now, or you can pay me later. Step up and lead people out of the past and into the future. Say nothing, and let the avalanche keep surging down the slope.