So, there it is.
Superstar golfer Tiger Woods this morning joined the ranks of American icons whose success has dragged them into an admission of what he called "transgressions" against his family and his principles.
Damn.
Well, at least he didn't call his dalliance(s?) a love story, a la South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. And we'll be spared the foot-tapping jokes that still dog former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig.
Disappointed in Tiger?
Absolutely.
Admissions like this make it hard for those who still want to believe that a certain type of goodness exists within those they admire. The type of goodness that encompasses loyalty and fidelity to the most important of commitments.
After so many similar admissions over the last few years, from the exploits of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer to the public lies of former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, it was interesting to watch the scandal play out with Woods.
Saying nothing, as he did for days, was the smart way to go; but that strategy had to be jettisoned after a woman -- not the one from last week's National Enquirer -- announced she'd known him (in the biblical sense) since shortly before he became a dad and for 29 months afterward. She claims to have text messages to prove it.
Although it does nothing to ease the disappointment, the double-standard involved here shouldn't go unnoticed.
Tiger's apt to be pilloried for this, and he may well lose some of his lucrative endorsement contracts because of his failings (no tears, please, it's not like he needs the money). But, someone whose fault lines were evident as they reached for the top, such as tennis star John McEnroe and yes, Eliot Spitzer, didn't have as far to fall. And those who are lesser-known escape even less scathed.
It's the price of being held in high regard.
It's hard to say just how high it will be for Tiger Woods.
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