Memo to Parnevik: Shut the Hell Up

The dominant headline in sports remains the Tiger Woods saga, which reached a fever pitch yesterday as Tiger Woods issued an apology for his "transgressions", an apology that seemed to confirm the rumors that Tiger was having an extramarital affair. Tiger then proceeded to lecture the watchdog media, chastising the part of American culture that pervades the privacy of celebrity life. He made some undeniably valid points about privacy, points with which I wholeheartedly agree. Whether or not Tiger had an affair is none of our business. However, Tiger's apology statement came across as more of a free swing at the press than a sincere apology. The apology seemed to lack complete candor. Thus, from a PR perspective, Tiger continues to handle the situation poorly.

But that is beside the point. Tiger deserves credit for at least coming forward and admitting his "transgressions", and we should all now move on. The real sin in this whole mess was not committed by Tiger Woods, but by Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik. Parnevik was the man who introduced Woods to his wife Elin, who was Jesper's former nanny. When asked about the Tiger situation yesterday, Parnevik unleashed a vicious diatribe against Woods, apologizing to Elin and saying that he thought he had introduced her to a "better man". Parnevik also tried to inject humor into this verbal attack, saying that he hopes Elin "uses a driver next time instead of a three wood". Parnevik came across as a thoroughly classless, ignorant moron. His assertion that he thought Tiger was a "better man" is especially condescending. Unless Parnevik is a model of saintly perfection, he should just shut up. Tiger made a mistake, a mistake that should be dealt with behind closed doors. Parnevik is an idiot for taking an unwarranted swing at Tiger's character. As for the joke about Elin using a driver instead of a three-wood, lets just say if that dreadfully unfunny joke is the best that Parnevik can come up with, he has no chance at starting a career in comedy.

I have had enough of this Tiger Woods story. Has he handled the situation poorly? Yes, but it is time to forgive and forget. What goes on behind closed doors is none of our business. That is something that Jesper Parnevik needs to realize.