Monday, March 22, 2010

Tiger Woods Admits "Pretty Bad Things," Living a Lie in First Interviews Since Sex Scandal

In his first two interviews since his November car crash and sordid sex scandal, Tiger Woods spoke with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi and Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman about his "transgressions," subsequent treatment and upcoming return to golf.

The most repeated sound bite: "I've done some pretty bad things in my life."

Ya think?! But to his credit, he at least took tough questions and was sober-sounding, apologetic and maybe even sincere, unlike his February apology speech.

"I was living a life of a lie, I really was. Stripping away denial and rationalization you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be ugly," he said.

Of his public apology, "When you face it and you start conquering it and you start living up to it, the strength that I feel now, I've never felt that type of strength."

Apologizing to his wife Elin and mother Kultida about his many mistresses were the "low points" for Woods, who gave five minutes to both ESPN and Golf Channel.



"I hurt them the most," he said. "Those are the two people in my life who I'm closest to – and to say the things that I've done truthfully to them was very painful."

While he wouldn't go into the post-Thanksgiving meltdown, saying it's either in the police report or between Elin Woods and himself, he was asked some hard ones.

But why not seek help sooner? "I didn't know I was that bad."

On why he had so many affairs? "Just one is enough."

While we would have preferred he comment on his Joslyn James sexting, Tiger did have a great line about fans' reaction to his comeback, saying "It would be nice to hear a couple claps here and there ... I hope they clap for birdies too."

Tiger also confirmed he's not finished with treatment.

"As far as my schedule going forward," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to do. What I know I have to do is become a better person, and that begins with more treatment. Just because I'm competing again doesn't mean I'm done."

Follow the jump for videos of Tiger Woods' interviews ...

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