A blog by Campbell Consulting Group, based in Bend, Oregon.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Where are Tiger's handlers?

His platinum-plated persona may be less lustrous for declining to cooperate with police, but Tiger Woods will take a huge hit to his wallet if he doesn’t come clean to fans about his Florida car crash, say Boston sports and entertainment crisis managers. “He’s making it look like he has something to hide,” said Hub public relations maven Peggy Rose. “If he made a mistake, admit it and move on. How he reacts now will determine his future image.” - Boston Herald
Tiger Woods is one of the most beloved, admired, respected, clean-cut, boring public personalities we have in the U.S. these days. Few could have imagined that he'd suddenly be the center of an ambiguous story involving crashing into fire hydrants and using golf clubs for things other than golf. Woods has decided to deal with the situation by 1) not cooperating with police and 2) issuing cryptic statements such as, "I'm human and I'm not perfect... This is a private matter." That's only going to make us more curious, Tiger. Was it drugs? Was it domestic abuse? If so, did you hit her first or did she hit you? Things are especially curious because two days before the fire hydrant made contact with the SUV, The National Enquirer ran a story alleging that Tiger was having an affair with a nightclub hostess named Rachel Uchitel, who had travelled to Australia to be with him just the previous week. Woods did not issue an immediate denial. Does that mean the story was true? Of course not. But many people will see it that way. Does the golfer's reticence mean he was driving drunk after getting into a physical altercation with his wife due to the public revelation of his affair? Certainly not. But many people will see it that way. Start talking, Tiger!
-Adrianne (@msfener)