Tiger Woods may be struggling with his car crash and DUI arrest, but there’s one way he can rebuild his reputation, according to brand expert Eric Schiffer.
“Get help and tell the truth. Tiger doesn’t need sophisticated statements anymore. He needs to visibly surrender to reality. To protect his reputation, he needs to dispel the illusion that he still has control over this matter,” Schiffer exclusively told Page Six.
“Protecting his reputation starts with protecting others from having to share the road with someone who is out of control.”
It continued: “He needs treatment and rehabilitation is not debilitating. He should hand over the keys to his life to the organization before the state does it for him. Tiger needs to disappear from the circus and reappear only when his recovery is intact.”
Woods made headlines Friday after being involved in a rollover accident on Jupiter Island, Florida. Officials said the professional golfer was trying to pass a general-purpose pressure washer truck when he became wedged in the truck’s trailer and lost control of the vehicle.
He was unharmed in the accident and was able to climb out of the Land Rover, which had fallen on its side.
After the incident, Woods was ultimately charged with driving under the influence, criminal damage to property, and refusing to submit to a urine test.
Regarding his reputation, Schiffer explained that it may be difficult for Woods to regain public support after he made another driving error.
“The tragedy for Tiger is that his greatness no longer buries his pattern, and that pattern now haunts Tiger. The public can forgive pain, but there is much less tolerance when millionaire celebrities get behind the wheel and keep climbing as if they are allergic to judgement,” the expert said.
“Each crash has seriously undermined his myth, leaving a man bleeding profusely in public. There is still granite in Tiger’s legacy, but the confidence around him is like drywall after a shotgun blast.”
“He keeps waking up in the same cemetery, trying to resurrect himself. His reputation is not shattered, but he is dragged into the morgue with serious suspicions,” Schiffer said.
When it comes to the golf world, the community “already knew that Tiger was damaged goods,” the guru added.
“Golf has always loved legendary scars. It’s much less romantic when you keep getting scars from the same blade.”
Woods is not the only one suffering, his company Sunday Red is also poised to face setbacks in the wake of his legal troubles.
“Sunday Red has had its logo dragged into a police report. Tiger is the brand’s oxygen. When he suffocates, the logo can’t breathe. Mugshot commerce is on a sugar high. Scandals can move the product and negatively affect the bloodstream of a luxury brand,” Schiffer said.
On Tuesday, Woods appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the DUI case. After appearing in court, he released a statement announcing that he was stepping away from the spotlight and seeking treatment to “focus on his health.”
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” the professional golfer shared via X on Tuesday.
“I will be taking a period of time off to receive treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order to prioritize my health and work towards a lasting recovery.”
