Rowe: Give Tiger a chance to redeem himself

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By Kermit Rowe, Staff Writer 10:16 PM Saturday, March 20, 2010

Will life ever be the same for Tiger Woods?

Many folks could care less if he ever came back to golf, or if he ever won another PGA tournament. Many more folks want to see him back only for their own selfish reasons — they want him to entertain them with more of those thrilling, awe-inspiring, fist-pumping performances for which he is famous.

They’re still willing to give him millions more dollars to do it, too.

But how many of those who line up on both sides of the issue are actually thinking about Tiger Woods the person?

Granted, in the past, I wrote a scathing column on Tiger’s scandalous extra-marital exploits — how he disgraced not only his name and his family, but the game of golf and the time-honored institution of marriage, with his bed-hopping.

At the time, he deserved it, and even worse. In some past cultures, adultery was punishable by death. Yikes! That would cut down on the cheating, now wouldn’t it?

That said, we have to make sure we separate the action from the person. And after we get past our initial shock, anger and outrage — which by now I hope we all have — we must move on and consider restoration.

Seriously, are you perfect? Above reproach? None of us are. We’re born that way. We’ll be that way when we die. So I say this: Give Tiger a shot at redemption. You’d want the same.

You know redemption, don’t you? When you make a mistake, and you know it. And there’s this voice inside driving you to confess it and seek to make your wrong right.

We know it as our conscience. It’s what separates us from other life forms on this earth.

So what if Tiger’s conscious drove him to post that confession on his Web site, and to seek two months of intense counseling — and not the spin doctors who work for him? What if, like a man coming off a hangover, Tiger finally woke up and realized what he was doing to his beautiful wife and gorgeous kids. And he was a broken man.

True confession fixes that.

It also opens the door to reconciliation. That’s what I hope happens. I hope Tiger mans up. That he accepts all the grief that is coming his way in the name of keeping his family, and his life, together.

Mind you, I’m not defending his actions, or excusing them. Far from it.

All I’m saying is there is something inside all of us that longs for redemption. It’s a legitimate option innate to every human being, Tiger Woods, nor anyone, should be denied the second chance it takes to reach it.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0364 or krowe@coxohio.com.

KERMIT ROWE COMMENTARY

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