In the latest of the more or less predictably frenzied hoopla  surrounding Tiger Woods, professional golfers are now stepping up to the turnstile for their turn to ride the kick him while he’s down merry-go-round.
Like alleged former lovers, sans Gloria Allred escorts, they have been infected with sudden nobility when the cameras were turned on and Wood’s was not in any real position to defend himself.
“This is no surprise to anyone who knows Tiger,†says PGA Pro Ben Crane. “He’s a phony and a fake and he can’t retain that squeaky clean endorsement deal any longer.â€Â
One might easily add “So there! Nyah!†to Cranes haughty fit of media induced dignity. But it does bring some questions to mind.
If, as Crane seems to allege knowing, Woods is such a scoundrel, why did he only speak about it now? Why, with the staunchly implied decency conveyed in his judgments, did he not bring this to anyone’s attention before?
Could it be he knew about Wood’s alleged indiscretions but just looked the other way until, like any self respecting shark, he smelled blood in the water?
Clearly this is part of a session of gratuitous piling on. Crane was aided in the gang up by fellow golfer Charles Warren, who went past simple derision of Woods and used the recent events to protect and honor the lives of women everywhere.
“She had stars in her eyes and maybe dollar signs, too,†said Warren of Wood’s wife, Elin Nordegren. “But no, she should not stay with him. What kind of message would that be to send to her sister and mother and all the women out there? That your husband can be a bastard but as long as he makes the deal worthwhile, you’ll stay?â€Â
While many may be touched by Warrens concerns for all of womankind and impressed with his intimate knowledge of why Nordegren married Woods and what she should do with her future, perhaps some others aren’t.
His Wiki page captures his lackluster professional record but doesn’t make any mention of his efforts on behalf of women. Perhaps the Horror of Tiger Woods made him an instant convert, or perhaps he’s just another case of perfection only while in the limelight, which is exactly what these men are excoriating Woods for being in the first place.
It’s a golfers game of gotcha, and for once Woods finds himself outclassed…by the completely classless.
There is little doubt at this point that Woods had an affair, or three. And there is equally small doubt that his wife sought payment for it with a deadly weapon, which unlike cheating, is a felony.
But all we really know for sure is that at one time or another, Woods has stood like a barbed wire prison fence between countless golfers and some truckloads of prize money. That fact has also led him to a bonanza of endorsements that have afforded him a lifestyle that lesser golfers like Warren and Crane can only dream of.
Scapegoats and targets have been made of far less.
As for the Wood’s marriage, who could even pretend to know what is in the hearts and minds of people who to most all of us are just images on a TV screen? But the last thing any troubled couple needs, or this culture for that matter, is sanctimony from the shadows, especially from those who so hypocritically kept their mouths shut when it might have done some good.
Editors note: The quotes from Ben Crane and Charles Warren were taken from a reported interview with Life & Style, and published in their online edition.  Since then, both golfers have denied they ever made such statements, or that they were even interviewed by Life & Style.  The public relations office for Ben Crane has also issued a press release on the matter.
Paul Elam is the Editor-in-Chief for Men’s News Daily® and the publisher of A Voice for Men.
