Personally, I don’t really care to know what Tiger was doing crashing his Escalade into a tree.  Nor do I care why his wife Ellen smashed the back window with Tiger’s golf club.  Maybe it was to rescue him… maybe it wasn’t – I don’t care.

What I do care about is the horrible manner in which Tiger is managing his communications during this time.  He further fueled the situation by allowing his lawyer to dictate what he should say to the media and the police.  “It’s a family matter…” is a legalistic move that will damage Tiger’s chances at mitigating this issue and moving on with his life and career.

Here’s what he should’ve done:

1)      Tell the truth.  Celebrities don’t get to have secrets.

2)      Tell the truth.  This isn’t Napa Valley and bad news doesn’t get better with age. 

3)      Tell the truth.  Formulate a communication strategy, execute the plan, and stick with it.

4)      Then, tell the truth.  Get out in front of the media and tell them what happened, again and again until they get sick of the same story.

5)      Relegate your lawyer to legal matters, not communications.

By relying on lawyers, you may stay out of jail, however, life can continue to be miserable…, profits can continue to tank…, and worst of all, your reputation or your company’s reputation can be ruined for life.

A Communication Counselor’s involvement is absolutely necessary during times when the media is on a feeding frenzy. 

Unfortunately, the “Tiger Woods” brand has now been inflicted by the media and its audiences.

Fortunately, the American audience is a forgiving public. 

Tiger: communication takes work – hire someone.  SOON!

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A Public Affairs Officer for the Marines, Danny is an innovative and forward-thinking executive, with a passion for leveraging effective communications to fuel employee-engagement, build community goodwill, and drive profits.