Is Tiger’s Lack of Comment a “No Comment?”
CNN.com made it front page material, along with TMZ, gossip bloggers, sports reporters and thousands of other media-types. Social media sites like Twitter are buzzing, with Tiger Woods taking a spot in its trending topics for two days now. So what’s all the talk about? Well right now, it’s about the mystery swirling around car accidents, domestic abuse and a lot of he said, she said. With the exception of a brief statement from the pro-golfer’s publicist, fans everywhere are left scratching their heads. What really happened and why is Tiger in hiding?
When we take clients through media training, one of the first rules we teach is to never say “no comment.” The idea is that “no comment” is essentially an admission of guilt. Whether or not it really is, “no comment” can leave people feeling like they are uninformed, misinformed or that a concern is being disregarded. As the investigation into the accident heats up, what was concern for Tiger seems to be shifting to a feeling of what is Tiger not telling us?
What do you think? Is it time Tiger comes clean about the specific details of that night? Do you think he owes his fans an explanation? Do you feel his silence is an admission of guilt? Do you think he is making the situation worse by not speaking up? Or do you believe he’s taking the right approach by staying mum, and that the situation will diffuse faster that way?
Photo credit: CRASH:Candy
Yes, Rachel, I’m with you 100 percent on this. By staying quiet, Tiger’s absolutely essentially saying “no comment” and allowing the rumor mill to work overtime. At some point he would be well advised to offer some sort of explanation of the situation, eat some humble pie and move on. After all, it worked for Michael Phelps.
@JasonSprenger
I don’t think “no comment” is serving him well. It just leads to speculation and rumor. And even if he came forward with a statement, at this point, it would just seem calculated and insincere. The damage has been done. When will public figures learn that “no comment” equals “I have something to hide?”
The situation is never going to diffuse unless he explains himself. I’m only a student of PR, but the first lesson I learned was exactly as you said Rachel: “no comment” is a huge no, no. Let’s be honest, it probably is a personal situation. As a celebrity he and his family has given up some level of privacy. He needs to come clean about the cause of the accident to move on from it.
I think the public would do well to respect privacy, even the privacy of celebrities. We don’t NEED to be gawkers, after all. We indulge in it, but it’s like a bad habit.
The only thing that Tiger’s obligated to let us know is whether he’s a menace to others. Should he not have been behind the wheel? Should the public worry that he’s driving while under the influence of medications? Or, could his wife be a threat to others? (highly doubtful, that one.) As for a conflict between he and his wife, no relationship is void of conflict. All relationships are hard. Let’s give them the space they need to work things out.
Tiger is human. Period.
While Tiger Woods appears to Average Joe as larger than life- he isn’t. In many ways, he’s just like Average Joe. He has bills to pay, a family to feed and day to day ups and downs like everyone else. All the money and fame in the world doesn’t change the fact that he, like everyone else, lives his life affected by all of the same trappings Average Joe does. If you think the fact that he is wealthy removes these challenges, you need to re-think things.
When you watch Tiger Woods golf, you don’t even have to be a golfer to appreciate the talent. There is something about watching him from way back in standings chip away at the competition until he sinks the ball on the final green to win the tournament. You only have to see him do that a couple times to realize no man has ever golfed the way he does. Even the pros know that. Perhaps we have allowed that ‘golf great’ persona to increase our expectations of him as a human. He doesn’t owe an explanation to anyone other than himself. The fact that he is in the media spotlight might IMPLY a requirement to explain, it does not MANDATE one.
I say leave him alone. He’s an Average Joe- with a better than average golf swing.