The Florida Highway Patrol has wrapped up its investigation into the events surrounding the one car crash at the home of Tiger Woods this past Friday morning.
The result?
Tiger has been issued a citation that carries a fine of up to $164.
How do I know this?
Because the Florida Highway Patrol called a press conference to announce to the world that they had issued a traffic ticket that carries a fine of up to $164.
A quick glance at a few news sites confirms the story. ESPN, CNN, FOXNEWS.
They have now all shared that important news for me.
A man in Florida was issued a ticket with a fine of up to $164 for backing over a fire hydrant and hitting a tree.
My guess is that this citation was not the only one issued today in Orlando where Tiger resides or in the state of Florida for that matter. But this is the only one given to Tiger Woods, and therefore the only one worthy of a press conference.
Perhaps I should have stated my bias up front.
I’m a Tiger fan.
I love watching him play the game of golf. His U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines was certainly one of my favorite sporting events of all time. Watching Tiger break down on the 18th green after winning the British Open allowing himself to grief for his recently deceased father was a tear jerker for me.
I love watching the guy play golf.
But I’m trying to figure out why his proficiency at hitting a little white ball into a cup leads to me hearing from almost every major news network that he received a traffic ticket. I can’t quite connect the dots there.
I don’t know what happened early Friday morning. The truth is, it’s none of my business what happened on Friday morning at Tiger’s house. My gut tells me me that the details of what actually happened that night are not quite in line with the minimal story that the Woods family has shared with the media. Busting out the back window with a golf club in order to remove Tiger from a crash that happened at under 35 miles an hour doesn’t make much sense.
But it’s not my job to make sense of that. It’s not my job to try to figure that out.
It’s none of my business.
I’ve visited with lots of individuals and families about issues they are facing in their life. The story they tell is often not quite in lines with the true details of what are going on in their lives. I’ve learned as a pastor that there is always more going on behind the scenes. Sometimes, even the person who is expressing their story does not fully appreciate, “the story behind the story.”
Here’s what I will say. I hope, whatever happened that night at Tiger’s house, that Tiger is taking care of his family and living up to the commitment he has made to his wife and his children.
Not because he’s an amazing golfer…
But because beyond any of his accomplishments and more important than his vast trophy collection…. Tiger is a husband and a father.