In a boundary-pushing interview with The New York Times, published August 9th, 2021, Tiger
Woods' former mistress Rachel Uchitel opened up about her infamous affair with the pro golfer.
As the explosive profile notes, back in 2009, just days after their dalliance came to light,
Uchitel signed a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting her from discussing the athlete - period.
At more than 30 pages long, the document was extensive, and Uchitel chose legendary Hollywood
lawyer Gloria Allred to represent her, given the thorny legal issues.
Woods' ex-mistress was paid $5 million for her silence, with the promise of a further
$1 million annually for the following three years.
As Uchitel recalled of the time,
"His lawyers are saying, 'We want all your text messages and here's the price', and you're
like 'screw you' and you move into deal-maker mode and all of a sudden, it's the rest of your life."
Now, after more than a decade of intense press intrusion and numerous stories dragging her
name, Uchitel is poised to finally speak her truth without fear of the consequences.
She stated firmly,
"I've had it with N.D.A.s."
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Woods is suing his former mistress for breaking
her lucrative NDA by publicly speaking out about their relationship.
Uchitel discussed their entanglement at length with The New York Times, including the long-term
effect it had on her personal life and the ironclad nondisclosure agreement that prevented
her from revealing everything before.
However, the issue isn't necessarily the interview.
Rather, Uchitel's involvement in the HBO docuseries "Tiger," which was released earlier this year,
is under the microscope.
Uchitel reasoned of her desire to speak on the record for the show,
"I wanted for once to be the one to narrate my story."
Uchitel subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
However, lawyer Michael Holtz, who's representing Woods, is challenging her protection from
creditors in an attempt to impose a claim against her for millions of dollars for breaking the NDA.
According to the beleaguered model, she could only find work as a spokeswoman for online
dating services after the scandal with the pro golfer.
In fact, she's suing a former employer for non-payment of $60,000 in earnings and damages.
The dating service in question denies any wrongdoing and is suing Uchitel in response.
Although she successfully negotiated an $8 million payout from Woods, Uchitel never actually
received the full amount.
The NDA prevented her from discussing anything about Woods or their relationship, directly
or indirectly, while Uchitel was also prevented from acknowledging that she signed the agreement
in the first place.
Tiger Woods was married when he initially started seeing Uchitel, ultimately divorcing
in 2010 once the affair - more like affairs - became public.
Although Uchitel was a willing participant in the relationship, as she explained to the
New York Times, the ensuing scandal has disproportionately affected her life, rather than his.
The TV personality takes particular issue with how she's been portrayed in the media,
noting Woods was no saint.
In fact, as Uchitel advised,
"I knew him to be cheating on his wife from the first time I met him, well before we got together."
Uchitel was painted as the villain in the situation, chiefly because of Woods's high
standing in society.
She further explained her mindset after the scandal became public.
"I'm not an idiot, I'm not a hooker, I'm not a prostitute.
I was and am a very smart girl and that's why I negotiated $8 million, because I knew
it was going to affect my life."
However, she only ended up pocketing around $2 million after paying taxes and lawyer fees.
His team never came through with the rest of her money and even threatened Uchitel's
ability to earn a living elsewhere.
Uchitel revealed to the New York Times that after documentary "Tiger" came out,
Attorney Holtz threatened her by saying,
"If you get a job, I'll come after your wages.
If you get married, I'll go after your joint bank account.
I will come after you for the rest of your life."
The New York Post reports Woods's lawyers have hit a major stumbling block after Uchitel
was granted a "discharge" from her bankruptcy case, which essentially gave her a clean slate,
free from debts and other legal claims.
Woods's team asked for the case to be reopened so they can make a claim against her for violating the NDA.
However, only future violations would be permissible.
Uchitel's lawyer Maureen Bass argued there's no "legal basis" to do so.
Uchitel advised,
"He's saying in the future he's going to go after me.
He isn't allowing me to have a fresh start."
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