Tiger does owe us something

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Mike and Mike had an interesting conversation this morning about Tiger Woods returning to the public eye tomorrow, and what he owes the American public.

Greeny thinks he doesn’t owe us anything, that if we ran into Tiger running

down the street, he shouldn’t feel beholden to say anything to us for his transgressions.

While I agree with that, Tiger has a responsibility to the public.  If he wasn’t a public figure, if he hadn’t taken all that endorsement money and become our friend, then it would be different.  But Tiger and his representatives sold him as our trusted friend.  When he said “hey, try this Gillette razor,” many of us did.  When he said “hey, try these Nike clubs,” we did.  When he said “hey, try this Tiger Gatorade,” we did.  Why, because we trusted him.  And even though what he did IS his own business, straying from the wholesome image perpetrated on television violated a trust that he had built.

While Tiger was at the Australian Masters, shacked up with Rachel Uchitel, he did an interview claiming “family first.  Always.”  So he was being dishonest there.  Obviously, he was hiding a side of himself from the very public that he was making a billion dollars off of.

So yes, Tiger does owe his public something..  If he runs into us as individuals, we aren’t necessarily owed anything.  But for the group of us that he deceived, in promoting an image that wasn’t real and in destroying a trust that was built up…regardless of whether it was because of sex addition or just being an out and out horn dog…he should come out and start the rebuild the bridges that he’s burned.

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