Tiger Woods: “I have a lot to atone for.”

Tiger Woods made a short statement today.  He spoke for about 14 minutes.  He talked a lot about his selfishness and foolishness.  He said he has bitterly disappointed everyone in that press room.  Here are some quotes from Woods during the conference:

• “I’m ashamed to have put you [my friends and business partners] in this position.”
• “I have a lot to atone for.”
• “Elin has shown enormous grace and poise in this ordeal.”
• “I thought I could get rid of whatever I wanted to…I thought normal rules didn’t apply to me.”
• “I felt I was entitled [to temptations].  Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.”
• “I have brought shame…to kids all around the world who have admired me.”
• “My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before.”
• “It’s up to me to make amends.”
• “It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity.”
• “I have heard before: It’s not what you achieve in life that matters.  It’s what you overcome.”
• “Character and decency are what really count [in life].”
• “It’s hard to admit that I need help.  But I do.”
• “I’ve taken the first steps in the right direction.”
• “The issues [between Elin and me] are between a husband and a wife.”
• “I know above all, I am the one who needs to change…I owe it to everyone to become a better man…Part of that for me, is Buddhism.  Buddhism teaches that when there is a craving for things outside ourselves, I need to learn restraint.”

I could say thousands of things about this press conference, but I’ll keep it at one thing.  He said, “I have a lot to atone for.”  Woods doesn’t need to make atonement.  Jesus already made it.  As Brit Hume has already said, Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods desperately needs.

I’m glad Woods made the statement.  I think he was sincere, but I hope he looks outside himself to Jesus, instead of what he has within.  And I can only pray that God opens his eyes to see that.

*               *               *

Related Posts:

• What Tiger Woods Needs Most
• Blessed Are the Persecuted
• Brit Hume to Tiger: Drop Buddha and Get Jesus

Advertisement