Woods in the woods

Sometimes the quintessential celebrity byte — “No comments” — saves the day

Tiger Woods was leading the perfect life. The world’s number one in a rich man’s sport, with looks that blended the most politically correct aesthetics, a bunch of top-dollar endorsements, and clean and stable life outside the golf course.

Perhaps it was too perfect to last, too fragile to withstand a seemingly innocuous accident. He hit a fire hydrant and a tree as he pulled his Cadillac Escalade out of the driveway. The Florida Highway Patrol said the accident was not alcohol-related, that Woods briefly lost consciousness and that his Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, used a golf club to smash the rear window of the SUV to get him out. Woods was later released from hospital in “good condition”.

The first questions began with the timing of the drive (2.25 am), gathered impetus from the time taken by the Woods management team to release a short statement about his condition (more than 13 hours) and soon turned into an avalanche of aspersions.

The 33-year-old has taken great care to keep his private life out of the public eye, even before his marriage. He is believed to have a security unit that takes care of him, especially when he is travelling. It keeps him safe and shaded from the prying eyes of fans and paparazzi. But now that the veil has been lifted just a tad, unnamed “insiders” are coming forward with tales of misdemeanours. A reporter claims he once saw Woods coming out of a Florida hotel with a woman who was not his wife. Nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel denies an affair, but cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs has appeared on a reality show to claim one. It is reminiscent of the time Bill Clinton had to face a “revelation” a day.

It is not this column’s brief to delve into Woods’ personal life. But it is interesting that the golfer is pleading for privacy, a plea that brings into question celebrities’ right to it.

It will be difficult to argue that Woods refused to benefit from his celebrity status. What makes a sport or sportsperson saleable is their following. Those Gillette ads would not make half as much impact if your columnist’s face, instead of Woods’, appeared alongside Roger Federer’s, Thierry Henry’s and Rahul Dravid’s. Woods brings value because he is recognised all over the world, or at least all the markets Gillette wants to address. Woods, the public figure, is a brand with more than 10 high-end sponsors and none will be happy that their poster boy is not living up to his image. It does matter to them what the public thinks of him.

If you benefit from your status as a public figure, you will find it difficult to avoid the adverse repercussions. Perhaps Woods can take a leaf out of Sachin Tendulkar’s book, whose clean image was briefly clouded over the issue of import duty on his Ferrari. Tendulkar dealt with it by saying nothing.