Rush to analyze Woods’ arrest is futile
The instant psychoanalysis of Tiger Woods was as predictable as it was pointless.
His arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence early Monday was painted as a fall from grace or a cry for help. No matter which it was, it was agreed that his life has careened out of control without golf. One of the greatest athletes in history is a shell of his former self, barely recognizable to all of us who knew him.
But here’s the thing: We’ve never known Woods. For the first 13 years of his career, everything he did was intended to cultivate an image that would appeal to everyone. After being criticized for telling dirty jokes during a 1997 interview with
GQ, his interviews became notoriously bland. He didn’t do anything that could be considered the least bit controversial. He didn’t wade into politics or issues of the day.
But as his run-in with the fire hydrant on Thanksgiving night in 2009 revealed, we knew the persona that was created but we didn’t know him personally. Which means that while it’s
Tiger Woods’ Monday morning mug shot is destined to join the “Oh really” guy and Crying Jordan in the viral vertical file of social media, to be deployed with high frequency and low reverence. Once the flashbulb popped at the Palm Beach County Jail and the public records requests came in, an image of Woods that neither he nor anyone else wanted to see was available for the planet to see. Though he, like all others entering the criminal justice system, is innocent until proved guilty, the availability and consumption of online mug shots at places such as Mugshots.com condemns the subjects of booking photos regardless of their case outcomes.
Woods’ mug shot has drawn wide reaction for his groggy appearance, having been taken hours after he was found asleep at the wheel by Jupiter (Fla.) Police. Woods failed a field sobriety test, according to the police report, but blew a 0.00 in a breath analysis test. Woods was cited for driving under the influence and improper parking/stopping.
I asked Leigh Steinberg, who has been representing prominent professional athletes for more than four decades, how he advises clients to appear in a mug shot should they be arrested.
“Your question presumes that someone would have the presence of mind in that traumatic situation,” he said. “Assuming they would do that, the facts of the arrest itself are damaging enough to their brand and reputation that compounding that with a noteworthy mug shot in a viral media age would be disastrous.
“So smiling and looking elated in a traumatic situation attracts attention. And appearing demonic or evil with a malicious frown that seems to illustrate the underlying charges is equally damaging.
“The point would be not to create a visual which is so remarkable that it becomes the subject of viral interest; something that’s tweeted; something that ends up becoming an Internet sensation.
“The answer to your question is C. Neutral.”
Among Steinberg ’s clients are two quarterbacks taken in the first rounds of the last two NFL drafts, Patrick Mahomes (No. 10 overall in 2017) and Paxton Lynch (No. 26 overall in 2016). He has represented multiple Hall of Famers and multiple players who have run afoul of the law, and he himself is eight years sober while battling alcoholism.
In legal matters or matters involving conflict, Steinberg ’s advice for clients and other celebrities of the sports and enter- tainment realm is to do the opposite of what their vocations demand. In other words, for once in your life, don’t stand out.
“The whole key is prevention,” he said. “You have to understand you’re a public figure, that your behavior is under scrutiny every second. The consequences of you being stopped for drunk driving, being in a fight, having aggressive interactions with women, are profound.
“But I do say this, when you confront authority, your job is to get through that situation as seamlessly as possible, so you’re not to be engaged in some argument with a guard at a venue, you’re not to say, ‘ Do you know who I am,’ you’re not to be aggressive with police and other authority figures. So likewise if something should happen, be as low key as possible.”
The Internet, after all, will be anything but.