Tiger Woods broke barriers not only on the green,
but also for Black athletes across the sports spectrum. Unfortunately, he also made history
with one of the biggest downfalls of all time, both on the professional and
personal fronts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he left a lot of haters in his wake.
Elin Nordegren met Tiger Woods at the 2001 Open Championship and the two married in 2004, having
two children together before their relationship was permanently rocked on Thanksgiving 2009.
Nordegren allegedly saw a racy text from Woods' mistress Rachel Uchitel,
according to the Daily Mail. TMZ reported Nordegren attacked Woods,
scratching up his face, after which Woods tried to flee in his Cadillac Escalade, but Nordegren
allegedly struck the SUV with a golf club until Woods crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree.
By 2014, Nordegren's tone had seemingly softened in an interview with People, wishing Woods well
in his new relationship and complimenting him as a father. But just one year later, Nordegren
low key roasted Woods during a commencement speech. She recalled that when she enrolled at
Rollins College in 2005, she said she was 25, an immigrant, and married with no children, saying -
"Today, nine years later, I am a proud American. And I have two beautiful children,"
She then followed an applause break with this perfectly-timed zinger,
which sparked laughs and even more applause for those who knew her story -
"But I'm no longer married."
Tiger's longtime caddie Steve Williams chose Woods to be his best man. In 2018, Williams told PGA of
Australia that Woods is, quote, "probably the greatest player that's ever played the game"
But things weren't always gravy between the golfer and caddie.
In the wake of Woods' 2009 cheating scandal, Williams told Woods he would have to re-earn
his respect. Instead, Woods fired Williams in 2011, after which Williams told The Telegraph -
"I have been incredibly loyal, and then to have this happen,
basically you could say I've wasted two years of my life."
Williams later told In Depth with Graham that those two years were difficult as people felt
he knew of Woods' marriage infidelity. Williams quickly moved on from Woods, caddying for Adam
Scott for his WGC Bridgestone Invitational win -- an event Woods won seven times with Williams.
"I’ve gotta tell you David, I've been a caddie for 33 years
and that's the best week of my life, and I'm not joking."
Later, Williams reportedly said he wanted to rub Woods' nose in the win,
though he used more aggressive and problematic language according to ESPN.
Woods defended Williams against allegations of racism, but told reporters the comment was
hurtful. Another troubling phrase was used in Williams's 2015 autobiography when he wrote -
"It was like I was [Woods] slave."
Setting aside the problematic language for another time, it's clear he was definitely bitter with
Woods, which is a shame considering how close the two men seemed to be at one point in time.
Joslyn James claims she was romantically involved
with Tiger Woods for three-years, thinking she was the only mistress. The adult entertainer revealed
to Inside Edition that she was twice impregnated by Woods without him knowing. Shortly after the
scandal broke, she released a string of racy text messages from Woods, telling Associated Press -
"I just wanted the public to know and the truth to be out there. [...] If I would have known
everything that was going on, and wasn't being lied to, I would have done things differently."
James went on to refer to Woods as an addict and even held a press conference where she
inferred that his focus should be on his relationships rather than his golf career.
In another interview, she talked about her own feelings of betrayal at Woods's
hands but ended on at least a somewhat positive note, saying -
"He's definitely not my favorite person but I don't hate him."
In December 2009, Roseanne Barr
didn't hold back when bashing Tiger Woods on The Wendy Williams Show. The comic,
who admitted she had been cheated on before, shared a list of things
she'd do to Woods had she been Elin Nordegren during the cheating scandal.
"Then I would walk out and hit his car with a golf club,
and then leave with the dogs and the kids and his mother."
She also busted out this classic and unusual form of revenge -
"I will wait until that f---er fell asleep and then I would hit him with
a bag of dirty sweat socks right in the kisser."
She sure doesn't seem forgiving towards adultery. Unfortunately, the Roseanne star
has since endured her own public shaming scandal that forced her off of the show she created.
Reality star Jaimee Grubbs is unfortunately
better known as mistress No. 2 in the Tiger Woods cheating scandal than she is for starring on VH1's
Tool Academy. The former cocktail waitress publicly leaked a voicemail to implicate
Woods' adultery and revealed to KTLA 5 that Woods promised her he would break things off with his
wife to only be with her. When she asked Woods if he had other mistresses on the road, he said,
"No, I'm too busy. I don't have time for that. I just like being with you."
Grubbs also described Woods as being manipulative:
"I think he's very good at playing the person that you want him to be."
For instance, Woods wouldn't drink or party to match Grubbs' vibe.
"You have these other women that say they met him in Vegas,
and he was a party animal and got drunk. I mean there are so many
sides to him that I didn't know — that I couldn't even tell you the person he is."
Rachel Uchitel shot to unfortunate
fame when the New York Post ran her image on a cover during the 9/11 terrorist attack,
in which she appeared crying for her fiancé, who had been among the victims that day.
By the decade's end, her face would be all over tabloids as "mistress No. 1" in the
Tiger Woods cheating scandal. Uchitel told Juicy Scoop w Heather McDonald -
"I was branded, really, as 'the victim,' and then 10 years later I was branded the villain."
She said she resented the double-standard as well, saying -
"Tiger gets to win awards or win his different tournaments. He gets to come out of things and
have mishaps, and get up again, and people want to cheer for him. But the women don't
get that so much, not just with him, but with any scandal, and that's not really fair."
According to TMZ, Uchitel canceled a tell-all press conference in 2009
after allegedly agreeing to keep the affair confidential in exchange for a $10
million settlement, most of which she then reportedly gave back after a dispute from
Woods' lawyer about whether or not she violated the terms of the agreement. In January 2021,
Uchitel will be featured in the two-part HBO documentary series about the scandal.
Something tells us she's not going to sing Woods' praises in that one.
In 2009, comedians had a field day when Tiger Woods' cheating scandal broke the news.
"We watched him make that long apology on television and afterward my wife goes
'well do you think a guy like Tiger could quit cheating on his wife?' and I said [laughs] ."
Comedian George Lopez was no exception. The Lopez Tonight host proceeded with
jokes and skits centered around the golfer's controversy.
But it's not just the cheating scandal that has soured some people's opinion of Woods.
In 2016, the five-time green jacket winner hit the green with
then President-elect Donald Trump two days before Christmas. Prior to the presidential election,
Lopez voiced his displeasure with the Republican candidate, telling Bloomberg
Politics Trump being elected, quote, "would be a significant issue for people of color."
So when TMZ asked the comic for his thoughts about the golfing buddies, Lopez replied:
"That's just a couple of white dudes playing golf. [...] So Tiger is a Republican and
Tiger voted for Trump. [...] I didn't vote for Trump, so I wouldn't golf with him."
As a filmmaker, Jordan Peele is best known for writing and directing the critically
acclaimed movie Get Out, which won a 2018 Academy Award and landed three additional
nominations. The socially conscious film effectively coined a new term,
"the sunken place", used to describe systemic inequities
in American culture. The Urban Dictionary further elaborates this term symbolizes -
"The metaphorical place a person goes to when they are compliant to their own oppression."
So when Tiger Woods and President Donald Trump were making headlines
for the anticipated golf outing in 2017, Peele couldn't resist taking a shot at
the golfer he once portrayed in a MADTV sketch, tweeting:
"Now you're in The Sunken Place."
Nas is as bold as they come.
The rapper has sold over 25 million records and is known for his searing diss tracks,
which means a name drop by this 13-time Grammy Award nominee is not always a good thing. Tiger
Woods felt exactly how a Nas shout-out could sting in 2004, with the release of "These Are
Our Heroes." In the track, the artist compares several Black athletes and entertainers to
slaves trying to please their masters, some of whom, like Woods, he calls out by name.
Four years after the track's release, Nas backed his opinion, citing the professional
golfer's reaction to a commentator. In 2008, Golf Channel commentators Nick Faldo and Kelly
Tilghman were talking about how dominant Woods was compared to his competition. As Faldo suggested
that competitors should gang up on Woods, Tilghman interjected the cringeworthy phrase -
"Lynch him in the back alley."
Tilgham was suspended for the remark, but according to Woods' agent Mark Steinberg,
Woods and Tilghman are friends and, quote,
"we know unequivocally that there was no ill intent in her comments."
Nas thought otherwise, telling HipHopDX -
"Tiger Woods standing up for this white lady, who said something about him being lynched,
is a c--- move to me. God bless the brother. I like to see him doing his thing,
but that's a flaw in his character. That's an issue I would have with Tiger Woods."
FOX Sports' Rob Parker was both suspended
and eventually let go from ESPN after making comments questioning the, quote,
"blackness" of NFL athlete Robert Griffin III and comparing him to Tiger Woods.
The topic of Griffin III wanting to dissociate himself as an African American football player was
brought up on the Dec. 13, 2012 episode of ESPN's program First Take, during which Parker mentioned
how the quarterback had a white fiance and was rumored to be a Republican and then asked -
"Is he a brother or is he a cornball brother?"
Parker would define a "cornball brother" as someone who, quote,
"is Black [...] but not really down with the cause," saying -
"He's not one of us."
Considering that Woods was married to a white woman,
has associated with republican President Donald Trump, and called himself "brown"
in a press conference, does that mean that Parker thinks that about Woods as well?
The rivalry between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia dates back to the 1999 PGA Championship.
After Woods won at Medinah, he continued to flourish both
on the green and as a public figure. Meanwhile,
Garcia stayed relevant by mouthing-off about Woods, which he cranked up considerably in 2013.
In a 2013 press conference, Woods' nemesis perpetuated a stereotype associated with
Black people when answering whether or not he'd invite his rival to dinner, saying -
"We will have him 'round every night. We will serve fried chicken."
Woods rightfully fired back at Garcia's racial slur on Twitter, saying -
"The comment that was made wasn't silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate..."
Woods later added a second, more conciliatory tweet, saying -
"I'm confident that there is real regret that the remark was made."
He appeared to be correct as Garcia later apologized.
"But don't get me wrong, I understand my answer was totally stupid and out of place."
Despite the apology, when a reporter asked Woods if he would consider
contacting Garcia to bury the hatchet, Woods bluntly replied that he wouldn't .
It doesn't seem to be one sided either,
as Garcia responded to another question to the reasons he doesn't like Woods with -
"There's people that you connect with and there's people that you
don't. [...] He doesn't need me in his life, I don't need him in mine."
Twenty-one years in the making it is safe to assume this feud
between Woods and Garcia will never end.
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