Things just keep getting worse for Tiger Woods. As the number of his alleged mistresses rises to six (or higher), his wife, Elin Nordegren, has reportedly moved out of their Florida home, his favorability rating has dropped 24 points, and gossip sites say his post-crash hospital records may indicate a drug overdose. Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey's producers have invited Woods to address the scandal on her TV show. Could a compassionate Oprah lead Woods through the sort of public mea culpa that could restore his image and save his multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals? (Watch sports radio jockey Jim Rome advise Tiger Woods to accept Oprah's offer.)
Woods needs Oprah... fast: Tiger's team of PR and legal advisors are reportedly urging the privacy-obsessed golfer to bare his soul on Oprah, says Thomas Conner in the Chicago Sun-Times. And though Woods is being courted by ESPN, 60 Minutes, and the Golf Channel (HBO Sports has already been rebuffed), "Oprah is the natural and comfortable home for such discussions—and she has the demographic of women Woods may want to speak to in this particular instance."
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Oprah isn't enough at this point: "The only person Tiger Woods owes an apology to is his wife," says Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle. As for coming clean to the rest of us, "let's be honest, there is no way he could sit down with Oprah and answer a single question to the public's Victorian satisfaction."
"What was Tiger thinking? That's not his job"
Only a religious ephiphany can save Tiger now: "Sorry, Oprah," says Kelly McParland in Canada's National Post. Tiger is now, in the public eye, a narcissistic, dollar-store "bimbo"-addict. "Even a televised confession isn't going to do much at this point. When you hold out this long, there's only one solution: Tiger's going to have to find God."
"Even Oprah can't save Tiger now"
Oprah could work—with Elin on board: An Oprah "couch confessional session" won't do much good, says Susie O'Brien in Australia's Herald Sun, unless Woods "can get his wife to sit by his side long enough." But if reports that Woods has negotiated a $55 million "re-nup" to save his marriage are true, Elin may be legally obliged to "smile on cue for the cameras."
"It's getting crowded in Tiger's lair"
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SEE THE WEEK'S LATEST ON TIGER WOODS:
• Tiger Woods, sex, and race: A "post-racial" scandal?
• Tiger Woods' Mistresses: A complete guide
• Will Tiger's sponsors dump him now?
• From Taiwan: A CGI 'reenactment' of Tiger Woods domestic dispute
• Who is Rachel Uchitel? A timeline of the alleged mistress's life
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