Tiger Faces Legal Issues, Mounting Sympathy

On Morning Drive, Tim Rosaforte reported to Gary Williams that Tiger's DUI arraignment has been set for July 5 and also includes a charge of improper parking.

Besides being asleep at the wheel of his parked 2015 Mercedes, the police reports says his car featured two flat tires and damage to the vehicle. TMZ also features this timeline of erroneous reporting on their end, with splashes of possibly accurate tales.

Brian Wacker at GolfDigest.com talks to lawyers about Tiger's options and much depends on test results.

Given the 41-year-old Woods’ lack of a criminal record (he was cited for reckless driving in the infamous 2009 crash into a fire hydrant outsidehis then-Orlando home), his standing in the community, his cooperation with authorities—which included submitting to a urine test—it seems plausible, according to those contacted by Golf Digest, that the charges could get knocked down to lesser offense. Also working in Woods’ favor is the fact that twice he blew a 0.00 when given a breathalyzer after his arrest.

In more analysis of the situation, the sympathy continues for Woods. Rex Hoggard writing for GolfChannel.com:

Only time and an ongoing police investigation will tell if Woods’ version of the events on Monday dovetail with reality, but the mountain of evidence released on Tuesday suggests that Woods made a mistake – a terrible mistake, but a mistake, nonetheless. And not only did he do so, but in a complete break from the norm it appears he has owned that miscue, no excuses, no qualifiers, no subterfuge.

“I understand the severity of what I did and take full responsibility for my actions,” Woods said in a statement. “What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”

Ian O'Connor of ESPN.com is longing for different times.

Yet here we are with Woods in the middle of another ungodly mess of his own design. Some are reveling a bit in his latest downfall, and perhaps that's the price Tiger has to pay for wearing that invisible yet very clear "Do Not Disturb" sign around his neck while becoming the world's most recognizable athlete.

But we all get into the business of watching and caring about sports for a simple reason: We want to see athletes do things physically that were once thought impossible. Their warmth and generosity of spirit along the way is merely a bonus, not a prerequisite.

So yeah, I'd like to see Woods find his way home sooner rather than later. So what if he has spent most of his career as a taker instead of a giver. I just want to fully appreciate the artist at work one last time, in one last tournament, on one last Sunday.

Michael Bamberger of Golf.com suspects Tiger doesn't know what to do with himself these days.

Every chance he gets, Woods talks about the role he plays in his the life of his son and daughter and what it means to him. It's moving and telling. But few 41-year-old men want to be a fulltime dad and nothing else. Woods used to have golf to fill his time, to give him drive, to let him exercise his vast competitive urge. For now, anyway, he doesn't. Still, the time must be filled. Tiger Woods faces the challenge we all do: how to fill that time productively. The answer to that difficult question for him now seems more pressing.