Text of Tiger Woods' Statement

(CBS)  The following is a transcript of Tiger Woods' remarks at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 19, 2010.

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Good morning, and thank you for joining me.

Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me, you worked with me, or you supported me. Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say.

Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words. It will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss. However, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down. And I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners, to everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors, and most importantly, the young students we reach. Our work is more important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.

But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I'm embarrassed that I have put you in this position. For all that I have done, I am so sorry. I have a lot to atone for.

But there's one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame. The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs, I cheated. What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far - I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong, I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.

I've had a lot of time to think about what I've done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It's now up to me to make amends, and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I've made. It's up to me to start living a life of integrity.

I once heard, and I believe it's true, it's not what you achieve in life that matters; it's what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count. Parents used to point at me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

It's hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days, from the end of December to early February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I'm facing. I have a long way to go. But I've taken my first steps in the right direction.

As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants me to - wants to ask me for the details of the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far as I'm concerned, every one of these questions, and answers, is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.

Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false.

Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things; I did. I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They have been kept separate from my sponsors, from my commercial endorsements. When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn't make it right for the media to follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school's location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family: Please leave my wife and kids alone.

I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know, above all, I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That's where my focus will be. I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it.

Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a creation of things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I've learned that's how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I'm making these remarks today. In therapy, I've learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered, so I can see the things that are most important to me: My marriage and my children. That also means relying on others for help. I learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help.

I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don't know when that day will be. I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.

In recent weeks, I have received many thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me. I want to thank the PGA Tour, Commissioner Finchem, and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.

Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.

Thank you.


Tiger Woods: Complete Coverage
Will Tiger Woods Cry? Bet on It
Tiger's Statement a "Grand Opportunity"
Can Tiger Learn From Past Celeb Apologies?
CBSSports.com's Steve Elling: Tiger Woods Blog
CBSSports.com: Golfers Speculate about Tiger's Timing
Golf Writers Boycott Woods Event

[scubbasteve01]

Top 20 Things Tiger Shouldn't Say At His Press Conference

20) " Good morning, and thank you for joining me. I hope most of you have already got in your morning sex and are about to have some during lunch-time too after my statement. Everyone has a good reason to be critical of me since you al know I have a problem keeping my pants on. I want to be simple and direct. I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in even though this is rehearsed. I thought the rules didn't apply to me. But they do. I've never done any performance enhancing drugs. I have had Minute Maid and sniffed a little glue at one time or another like anybody else. I would like to ask the press to leave my wife and kids alone. I can verify any rumors about anymore infidelity to them without your help. I must start living a life of integrity without wild unprotected sex that can get caught by the press. Character and decency are important when using Trojan condoms. They do say that the ribbed ones are the best ones for true pleasure. I strayed away from Buddhism and went straight into hard core Bootyism. "
19 ) " I am sorry that I was caught and now have to apologize to so many women that I will never have sex with."'
18) '' When hearing my caddy scream hole in one. I had no idea how many holes I could get into off of the course."
17 ) " Yes, I AM TIGER. I AM TIGER. I AM A SEX MACHINE. I AM A GIGOLO. I AM MAN. THEY ARE WOMEN.
I AM A SEX ADDICT. I'M NOT ARROGANT. I'M TRYING TO APOLOGIZE. ''
16) '' I apologize to my wife and my fans. Because I had so many women on my TO DO LIST.''
15) '' My 9 clubs are usually saved for the golfing tour and not for my head. Elin never hit me on Thanksgiving night even though I was the real turkey. She did however threaten me several times during our arguments about how she desperately wanted to cut my b****off. Some people have made up thing that never happened. Like saying I had sex with another Hooters girl in the back of her car. Elin deserves praise and not blame. I was caught for being a bad cheater. That's why! Whenever I play I say foursome. I mean FOUR! ''
14) " It was never my intention to engage in any lascivious behavior with any Disney Characters. "
13) I am sorry that I didn't know about the settings on my I-Phone before this happened to me. My failures have made me realize if you're going to cheat then do it the smart way. "
12) '' I do believe that all fire hydrants should be safe for the fire departments and dogs to use.''
11)'' Yes, I was sex-texting before I had my crash."
10) I don't need racial diversity training like people think. Yes, I know some of them were s****s and weren't black women. But somebody had to hit it.
9) I received no personal consultation from Congressman Joe Wilson and his white supremacy group Sons OF The Confederacy on the rules of lying.
8) '' I NEVER had sex with that woman! But I did have sex with that woman."
7) '' No I haven't gotten any email from the Pope about my playlist. Noo! No! My music playlist. ''
6) '' No, I don't endorse sex with animals like some people do."
5) '' Yes, I do endorse hanging out with girl groupies like John Mayer and saying the '' N'' word.
4) '' I'm sorry, son. I'm not your father. But I did have sex with your mother."
3) '' No, I don't have a Top Ten List of Women for the Lettermen Show.''
2) '' No! No! The rumors about a Tiger Woods SEX App for the I-Phone are all untrue. As I continue to move forward. I will still look at women with really big booties. I will return to golf one day and have those great sudden death matches that I used to have without jumping in bed with many women."

Top 20 Reason No. 1

'' Finally, there are many people in this room and at home who believe in me. Today I ask for your help and that you find room in your heart to believe in me again yes, me, Tiger Woods. A $billion dollar athlete who has had sex with many women and wants sympathy from everybody while more important things are going on in the world. Look! The rumors about me being booked through out the summer at the Bunny Ranch in Las Vegas are false. Thank you. "

WHO CARES? Could switching to GEICO now save him 15% or more on his car insurance? Are his girlfriends also insured? Will cartoon Icon Bugs Bunny finally eat fricassee of rabbit? Will Elmer Fudd finally get proper pronunciation locked down? WHAT? Is he crying?

[scubbasteve01]

Top 20 Things Tiger Shouldn't Say At His Press Conference

20) " I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in even though this is rehearsed. I thought the rules didn't apply to me. But they do. I would like to ask the press to wive and kids alone. I can verify any rumors about me to them without your help. I must start living a life of integrity without wild unprotected sex that can get caught by the press. Character and decency are important when using Trojan condoms.
I strayed away from Buddhism and went straight into hard core Bootyism. "
19 ) " I am sorry that I was caught and now have to apologize to so many women that I will never have sex with."'
18) '' When hearing my caddy scream hole in one. I had no idea how man holes I could get into off of the course."
17 ) " Yes, I AM TIGER. I AM TIGER. I AM A SEX MACHINE. I AM A GIGOLO. I AM MAN. THEY ARE WOMEN.
I AM A SEX ADDICT. I'M NOT ARROGANT. I'M TRYING TO APOLOGIZE. ''
16) '' I apologize to my wife and my fans. Because I had so many women on my TO DO LIST.''
15) '' My 9 clubs are usually saved for the golfing tour and not for my head. Elin never hit me.
Whenever I say foursome. I mean FOUR! ''
14) " It was never my intention to engage in any lascivious behavior with any Disney Characters."
13) I am sorry that I didn't know about the settings on my I-Phone before this happened to me."
12) '' I do believe that all fire hydrants should be safe for the fire departments and dogs to use.''
11)'' Yes, I was sex-texting before I had my crash."
10) I don't need racial diversity training like people think. Yes, I know some of them were s****s and weren't black women. But somebody had to hit it.
9) I received no personal consultation from Congressman Joe Wilson and his white supremacy group Sons OF The Confederacy on the rules of lying.
8) '' I NEVER had sex with that woman! But I did have sex with that woman."
7) '' No I haven't gotten any email from the Pope about my playlist. Noo! No! My music playlist. ''
6) '' No, I don't endorse sex with animals like some people do."
5) '' Yes, I do endorse hanging out with girl groupies like John Mayer and saying the '' N'' word.
4) '' I'm sorry, son. I'm not your father. But I did have sex with your mother."
3) '' No, I don't have a Top Ten List for Women for the Lettermen Show.''
2) '' No! No! The rumors about a Tiger Woods SEX App for the I-Phone are all untrue."

Top 20 Reason No. 1

'' Look! The rumors about me being booked
through out the summer at the Bunny Ranch in Las Vegas are false."

WHO CARES? Could switching to GEICO now
save him 15% or more on his car insurance?
Are his girlfriends also insured?
WHAT? Is he crying?

[joetheplumbers]

I can't diss the Media without Dissing this web site as well though. This is what 24/7 news is. The media doesn't finally get into the **** that concerns people or matters to people. They just go deeper into the ******** that doesn't matter.

Ben Roethlisberger had ESPN's upper management sending word down to not do the story when he raped a *****. The Media just knows that it will never be able catch Tiger breaking the law so they made something big out of the smallest thing they could find.

[joetheplumbers]

It?s not just that its not their business. They do it to. I bet Peyton Manning is knee deep in some ***** right now and he doesn't know her name. This is why the Indians said the white man talks with a forked tongue. If they sin and kill in the name of America its good and patriotic. Somebody else does it then its evil and the bad. They protest Vick, Bonds and Tiger. Do you think Barry Bonds could come back to baseball like Mark McGuire did with no protest? Their protesting Woods at golf patches already. white people become uppedy and like to act like their better than they really. That?s just what they do. The media is also playing to white Americas black hate for ratings as well. They know as long as Glenn Beck has the highest ratings there is a targeted audience that will love to see the media lynch a minority. Floyd Landis broke the law by hacking computers but that?s not a story. Where?s Nancy Grace on that ****!!! She got Tiger a traffic ticket though. They can?t do white people like this because they would have hung themselves. White politicians do something and they show us Kanye and Serena Williams. Who are Athletes being compared to politicians. White Politicians cheat and they show us more Tiger Woods than the politician. Black entertainers and atletes vs. white politicians.

[mathman0]

wrt his comments on Buddhism, he didn't say "... the CREATION OF things outside ourselves...", but rather "... the CRAVING FOR things outside ourselves..." This is a fundamental tenet of Buddhist philosophy. As long as we are convinced that true happiness lies outside ourselves, we will never realize that true happiness actually lies within ourselves, we will never be truly happy, and we will continue to suffer. See the full sweep of destructive human impulses throughout our history -- war, greed, power, lust, etc. -- for infinitely many examples of this bedrock principle.