It’s clear Tiger Woods needs saving from himself

Icons fall the hardest, and Tiger Woods is at it again. Another mugshot, another lapse in judgment, another glimpse into a very shrouded and troubled life.

He deserves it all: real accountability, real outrage, real grace.

When Woods rolled his vehicle just after 2 p.m. on a Friday afternoon in Florida, longtime observers and golf media knew intuitively where the story was going. Woods has had major difficulties behind the wheel of his automobiles, and the events all seem to flow from addled bloodstream, dulled moments, slurred speech. From the painkillers that have accompanied his meteoric rise, fall, rise and fall.

When Woods was arrested for DUI in 2017, he was asleep at the wheel of a running vehicle with two flat tires and other assorted damage. He had a cocktail of five prescription drugs in his system. After the latest incident, he refused to submit to a urine sample, a troubling admission of something.

Woods has reportedly endured 13 surgeries during his career, at least seven on his back. He punished his body in the weight room. He famously trained with Navy SEALS. He won the U.S. Open on a broken leg. He carried an entire sport and the weight of his father’s dreams on his shoulders. For Woods, the latter was always much heavier. He suffered major injuries and paid a heavy physical price, where painkiller addiction comes with a different and gentler context.

From what I could tell, Michael Jordan had a very normal father. I was among a gaggle of writers in the basement of the old Chicago Stadium who once listened to Jordan’s dad openly admit that he was stunned by the genetic twist of fate. How such a normal-sized guy in a normal-sized life could spawn such a GOAT, how such a force of nature sprouted from his DNA.

Woods’ father, Earl, was just the opposite. He claimed Tiger would change the course of humanity in ways greater than Buddha, Gandhi or Nelson Mandela. And Tiger’s need to fulfill that claim — to be his father’s perfect creation — fueled most of his choices.

Woods has now rolled two vehicles. He was not charged by California police in the previous incident when records show his foot was still on the accelerator after losing control of his SUV. Some legal analysts think Woods will also skate on the latest charges, using his wealth, fame, powerful friends and no proof of impairment to escape serious consequences. Others think he might be in real trouble as a potential repeat offender in Jupiter, Florida, who wouldn’t provide a urine test.

There is also a sense of guilt and complicity that seems to be leaking from this story, from media trained to fawn over Woods, from a sport that suddenly mattered and prospered whenever Tiger was playing golf. They say everything changes when humans encounter true and real greatness, and Woods gave us that and more. He provided a treasure chest of incredible shots, victories and memories.

But now, golf no longer matters. Someone has to step up and help save Tiger from himself. Before the next lapse in judgment.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta mornings from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports.

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