Jul 17, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Tiger Woods on the 15th green during practice rounds at the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports
By Drew Lerner on

Everyone deserves a second chance. In exceptional cases, sometimes a third chance is warranted. But make the same mistake for a fourth time? Then it is indefensible.

Unfortunately, for the fourth time since 2009, Tiger Woods was involved in a reckless driving incident that put his life and the lives of others in danger. On Friday, Woods was arrested, charged with driving under the influence, causing property damage, and refusing to submit to a lawful urinalysis test. His history of reckless driving runs so deep that it required the Golf Channel to produce a full-screen graphic with a timeline of his various accidents.

If this were any person not named Tiger Woods, there would be no question: wrecking your car for a fourth time while (allegedly) driving impaired should send you straight to jail. We all know the dangers of driving under the influence, and no reasonable person would ever excuse that pattern of behavior.

That’s a painful realization for most golf fans to come to, this writer included. Tiger occupies a God-like status in the golf world. His on-course accomplishments and his perseverance through countless injuries (many self-inflicted) make him a justifiably inspirational figure. He’s the reason many current golf fans got into the game, full stop.

But the rush by some to defend Woods after his most recent incident is sickening and downright embarrassing.

Perhaps the most high-profile example is that of Barstool Sports personality Sam Bozoian, widely known as simply “Riggs” in the golf community. Just over an hour after Marin County Sheriff John Budensiek announced Woods’ charges at a press conference on Friday evening, Riggs, who, along with his cadre of Fore Play buddies, has grown close to Woods in recent years, posted a video admitting he had informed Barstool’s digital team not to post about the DUI charge and then absolved Woods of any wrongdoing.

“You think I told our team to not post about Tiger Woods’ DUI to protect him? You’re goddamn right I did,” a smirking Riggs said. “You want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We’ll protect Tiger Woods until we f*cking die.”

The video seemingly came in response to an earlier social media post from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who posted a text message from an anonymous employee that read, “Riggs told me not to post Tiger DUI fyi if anyone wondering why we haven’t yet.”

That text appeared to have been sent at 5:11 p.m. By 5:38 p.m., Barstool Sports had posted about the DUI on its website, though by then, two hours had passed since the story initially broke.

Riggs is rightfully being taken to task by others on social media. One reply astutely noted that he had reposted a picture of former NHL player Johnny Gaudreau’s children posing with the USA men’s hockey team after they won gold at the Olympics. Gaudreau, of course, was killed by a drunk driver in 2024.

Golf media has a long history of looking past Woods’ indiscretions because he’s a seminal figure in the sport. Even today, with his best playing days long behind him, Woods’ role in reshaping the PGA Tour amid a period of upheaval in pro golf, launching a brand-new league in TGL, and transitioning to an elder statesman figure within the community, had most of golf media eager to cover Tiger as a reformed individual who had learned his lesson after his near-fatal car accident in 2021. And rightfully so. Woods’ role in professional golf is arguably more important now than it has been at any point since his prime more than two decades ago.

But no one, not even Tiger Woods, deserves a fourth pass when the consequences of his actions could have easily killed someone or himself. And let’s be frank. Woods has only been caught four times. Who knows how many other Friday afternoons he’s gotten behind the wheel when he shouldn’t have, and was lucky enough to get away with it.

Riggs wasn’t the only notable golf personality to draw widespread attention for his reaction to the situation. Dan Rapaport, who now hosts his own golf show for Skratch after leaving Barstool Sports, was practically in tears over the ordeal, calling it “another twist that none of us wanted to see.” But he fell well short of holding Woods accountable for his actions.

This is precisely the problem. The golf media, collectively, have lionized Woods over the past 30 years. Each incident has been downplayed as minor; the result of an upbringing that would have conferred any human with his/her fair share of demons. And now, well, heavy is the crown. No one has been asked to do more for the sport of golf than Tiger Woods, especially in recent years, as LIV Golf threatened the very existence of his beloved PGA Tour. It’d be a large burden to bear for any individual, and it is clearly too large a burden for Tiger Woods to bear without resorting to substances that make it dangerous to drive.

It’s easy to blame circumstances, especially when you want to protect someone you love. But it’s time for the golf media to do the hard thing and collectively blame Tiger Woods. He has brought this on himself time and again. There’s nothing else to blame.

Some in the golf media have strongly condemned Woods’ behavior. Nathan Hubbard, who hosts the Fairway Rollin’ podcast for The Ringer, argued that golf media has given Woods a pass too many times.

“I’m done celebrating Tiger Woods,” he wrote. “If these allegations are true, take his name off the tournament. Prosecute. Make an example. Hold him accountable for decisions that threaten the lives of literally anyone in his path. Actions gotta have consequences, even for our heroes.”

The legal process still needs to play out. But if Woods is, in fact, guilty of the charges brought against him, the golf media will need to be deeply introspective about how to cover Woods in the future. He’s a complicated, wildly successful, deeply troubled, charismatic, likeable, flawed, anger-inducing, and unarguably fascinating individual. It’s paramount that golf media addresses that complexity head-on, rather than simply focusing on the positive traits we’d all rather highlight for one of our heroes.

No longer is it acceptable to cover Tiger the same way he’s always been covered. The pattern of behavior is too entrenched. The consequences are too serious. And it’s time golf media stop taking the easy way out.

About Drew Lerner

Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.

View all posts by Drew Lerner