Tiger Talk

[Rev Kilgore Mullet]

Tiger’s Right to Privacy or Expectation of Scrutiny

There’s more to Tiger’s current plight than simply being a private matter. For starters, a marriage contract is open to public scrutiny and is licensed and regulated by the state. The PGA wouldn’t be interested applying “conduct unbecoming” rules for marital problems but there are a few other issues to consider. There are allegations of recreational drug use. There is speculation that violations of the Mann Act may have occurred in transporting women across state lines for illegal purposes. There is speculation that RICO statutes may have been violated which is something that Eliot Spitzer faced. There have been allegations of prostitution. There is a story circulating that the state of Florida is investigating allegations of domestic violence. There are tax implications for questionable travel and entertainment deductions that may have been paid through one of Tiger’s charitable foundations. There are also business consequences for publicly traded companies that may tally hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars.

Tiger is the world’s best known athlete. The Tiger story is the sports story of the decade. The Tiger story affects Wall Street. There are enough allegations to potentially keep public courts and agencies busy for years. The explanation offered by Tiger’s apologists that his problems are only private concerns does not ring true.