As published for The Arena on Politico.com on February 19th, 2010:

Tiger Woods needs better public relations advice before his apology approach becomes a model for wayward politicians to follow. There were numerous things wrong with his template. In brief:

· He could’ve given the very same apology (save the “I’ve been in therapy” portion) almost immediately after the Thanksgiving driving disaster occurred.

· To me, his apology seemed cold and mechanical. He seemed to simply be trying to check all of the necessary boxes of that an apology needs – family, fans, sponsors, golf and the kids.

· He gave off the vibe that he deserved better treatment from the media. The news media helped fuel is rise to worldwide fame and riches. He put himself into the public eye by signing huge endorsement deals which came with advertising that splashed his face and image everywhere. Had he only been a golfer and nothing else, his “leave me alone” attitude might carry some weight. In this case, I found that request to be tone-deaf and petulant.

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