Tiger Woods Accepts Punishment After Changing Plea In Rollover DUI Case

Golf legend Tiger Woods switched his not guilty plea to guilty in court on Wednesday as he faces charges in a DUI case stemming from a rollover crash in Florida earlier this year.

Woods will pay a $1,000 fine and have his driver’s license suspended for five years. The judge stressed that the suspension is intended to protect the public and said there will be no exceptions.

Woods answered “yes” when asked whether he had enough time to speak with his attorney before changing his plea.

Woods officially changed his plea during an appearance in the Martin County, Florida district court. Woods’ girlfriend Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., walked with the golfer into the courthouse.

On March 27, Woods sped through a residential neighborhood in his Land Rover in Jupiter Island, Florida, and attempted to pass a truck pulling a trailer, but he clipped the trailer, flipping his SUV. No one was injured in the crash, but Woods caused $5,000 in damage to the truck and trailer, according to the incident report. He initially pled not guilty in the Martin County, Florida, circuit court.

Woods told deputies at the scene of the crash that he was distracted and had looked down at his phone before hitting the trailer, but one deputy described him as “lethargic and slow,” with “bloodshot and glassy” eyes and “extremely dilated” pupils, according to the arrest affidavit.

A breathalyzer test that Woods agreed to take showed no signs of alcohol in his blood system, but the pro golfer refused to take a urine test.

Woods informed officers that he takes “a few” prescription medications, and two hydrocodone pills were found on his person when he was arrested. Hydrocodone, which is typically taken to treat severe pain, is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance by the U.S. government and is among the drugs that the Food and Drug Administration warns “could make driving dangerous.”

“So at this time, I do believe your normal faculties are impaired,” one of the deputies told Woods as she placed handcuffs on him, bodycam footage shows. “And you’re under the unknown substance, so at this time, you’re under arrest for DUI.”

Prosecutors zeroed in on Woods’ pain medications and secured a subpoena granting them access to the golfer’s prescription drug records between January 1 of this year through March 27, the date of the crash. Prosecutors were especially interested in the “date and time prescription was filled, type of prescription, number of pills in each prescription, the dosage amount, and all special instructions.”

After the crash, Woods stepped back from his normal life “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”

“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally,” Woods said. “I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”

Woods, who is widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, has taken pain medications after dealing with severe back injuries throughout his career and being in a serious single car crash in Los Angeles in 2021. He was also arrested in 2017 and charged with a DUI after police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car, which was on the side of the road.

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