Filed under: Golf & Tennis
One interesting thing about Tiger Woods is that he has long been notorious for cutting off those who've crossed him. Friends who spoke to the media about his personal life were gone forever, and Tiger has reportedly been quite ruthless in protecting his privacy. All that changed with the Internet, where privacy is no longer an option, when TMZ can fly a helicopter over the roof of your house. Tiger learned this year that no matter how powerful the celeb might be, no one can have complete control over his destiny, public image and lifestyle.
Another added point that gives credibility to Earl Woods Jr.'s side of the story is that Tiger has appeared to possess a bit of the narcissism that comes with being the greatest golfer in the history of the world. A married man who has unprotected sex with porn stars (as Woods reportedly did) might be perceived to be a wee bit inconsiderate. There's no way to determine what personal nightmares Tiger's ex-wife Elin has experienced since finding out about her husband's secret life.
Earl Woods Jr. didn't appear to be on a mission to bash his baby brother. Instead, he actually defended Tiger's public image, and made it clear that the man being portrayed in media is not the person his brother actually is. He also didn't seem to be chasing money, but then again, we don't know what his ambitions might be. To be honest, if Earl Woods is having financial problems, it would be frustrating to be cut off by a brother earning over $100 million per year. I'm sure that every family member's financial problems could be solved with the spare change in Tiger's pocket. To that extent, given the size of Woods' massive fortune, it would be expected that he would create a small fund (perhaps just a measly million bucks) to help with family financial problems -- a man should take care of the people who loved him before he became a big shot.
During his interview with CNN, Earl made a final point that many of us speculated to be true in the first place. He said that Tiger has been lost since the death of his father, Earl Woods Sr. It does appear that the loss of his dad changed Tiger in ways that most of us can't imagine. Loss and grief can make us do strange things, and superstars like Tiger Woods are no exception. Let's hope that Tiger finds his way to happiness and a truly wealthy life.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.