Stephen A. Smith on Tiger Woods arrest: ‘Most of us would be in jail’

More details are beginning to come out about Tiger Woods’ latest reckless driving incident.

According to the arrest affidavit obtained by TMZ on Tuesday, Woods was found with two hydrocodone pills in his pocket at the scene of his rollover car crash last Friday. Police, who arrested Woods and charged him with driving under the influence, say he showed “severe signs of impairment” after the incident.

It’s Woods’ fourth reckless driving incident since 2009, some of which are widely believed to be caused by prescription drug usage.

For the average American, four such incidents would likely result in time behind bars. It’s unclear if Woods will be treated like the average American.

On the latest episode of Cuomo on NewsNation, ESPN star Stephen A. Smith gave a blunt assessment of the situation, suggesting “most of us would be in jail” with an identical driving record to Woods’.

Stephen A. Smith says the quiet part out loud about the Tiger Woods DUI saga:

“MOST of US would be in jail — He’s gotten away with a lot, and they’re sick and tired of it.”

SMITH: “But all I know is this.”

“You had this problem in 2017 when they found you sleeping in your car… pic.twitter.com/XrryY66bID

— Overton (@overton_news) March 31, 2026

“You had this problem in 2017 when they found you asleep in your car on the side of the road,” Smith began. “You had this problem in 2021 when you crashed into a tree and tumbled over and almost got yourself killed. You had this issue again last Friday. All three times, you’re inebriated and you’re behind the wheel of a car.

“Now, I think it’s safe to say, you’re Tiger Woods, you can afford car service. I think it’s safe to assume the man can afford car service. Okay? What the hell are you doing getting behind the wheel of a car? Most of us would be in jail.”

This is precisely the reason Woods seems to be losing his case in the court of public opinion. Plenty of people can look past a star athlete being charged with DUI once. Unfortunately, those instances are too numerable to count. But when similar accidents happen again and again, as has been the case with Tiger Woods, the public’s patience wears thin. And with Woods in particular, it seems like there’s been a lot of favorable treatment given to the star golfer.

“Remember the second incident in 2021. They didn’t even, they didn’t charge him,” Smith recounts. “They didn’t make him take an alcohol, you know, a breathalyzer test. They didn’t test his blood, any of that stuff. He was hospitalized. They left him alone. So he’s gotten, in a lot of people’s eyes in America, he’s gotten away with a lot and they’re sick and tired of it.”