Tiger Woods Sets New Crisis Communications Standard

Golfer Tiger Woods at press conference 19 February 2010. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images).

Although he waited three months to publicly address the rumors and allegations of marital fidelity, Tiger Woods today set a new Crisis Communications standard for others to follow. (Here’s a link to Tiger’s complete statement.)

Here’s what Tiger did well:

• The press conference was held in a public forum open to the media.
• He controlled the environment (no questions were allowed).
• He admitted his mistakes (he stated clearly the he “was unfaithful”).
• He apologized for his actions — to his wife, family, employees, partners, the PGA, the PGA Commissioner, his fellow golfers and fans.
• He said he was sorry (multiple times).
• He called himself out: “I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules.“
• He called his behavior “irresponsible” and “selfish.”
• He explained that he has been in “in-patient therapy” receiving treatment (treatment that he will return to tomorrow).
• He chastized the paparazzi for chasing his kids and the media for disclosing the location of his 2 1/2-year-old daughter’s school.
• He also strongly stated that his wife Elin had “never hit” him on “that night or any other night” — that “There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever” — and that “Elin deserves praise, not blame.”
• He strongly denied allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs.
• And he asked that someday those who had believed in him in the past “to one day believe in me again.“

Here’s what Tiger did NOT do well:

• He waited almost two months before addressing the public and media.

That’s it, seriously. I think he did quite well today.

Now . . . the proof will be in the pudding:

1. How long before Tiger plays golf again professionally? (If he plays in the Masters, will today’s apology be seen as sincere? Does he need to take all of 2010 off from golf? Personally, I think not, but that’s me.)
2. Will he and Elin be able to reconcile?
3. Will Tiger be able to stay faithful? {Hopefully, he understands that he now has a Gary Hart-like target taped squarely on his back and journalists of all types will be looking to catch him straying again.}
4. Will he do anything to try and provide a level of public restitution, a penance if you will, such as a donation to a non-profit that supports abandoned wives and families?

But these questions and more are queries for the future.

For now, I believe that Tiger Woods (and his public relations team) have set a new standard for issuing a public apology in a Crisis Communications setting.

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