NBC Faces Viewer Backlash Over Tiger Woods Crash Coverage Blunder
NBC has found itself in the firing line of disgruntled viewers after a significant gaffe during their coverage of Tiger Woods’ recent arrest. While reporting on the PGA Tour’s Houston Open on Saturday afternoon, the network inadvertently broadcast footage from Woods’ 2021 car crash in California when discussing his latest legal troubles.
The incident in question occurred on Friday afternoon, when the legendary golfer was arrested after an alleged high-speed manoeuvre involving a truck and trailer on a residential road in Jupiter Island, Florida. Woods’ SUV reportedly clipped the rear of the vehicle before flipping onto its side.
However, as an NBC anchor began detailing the events in Florida, viewers were instead shown images of the devastating 2021 crash. That accident in California left Woods with severe injuries, including a shattered right leg, requiring multiple surgeries and an extensive recovery period.
The visual mix-up did not go unnoticed by the viewing public, who quickly took to social media to voice their outrage. Many described the error as “despicable,” “pathetic,” and a sign of amateurism.
One irate viewer posted, “NBC you’re terrible. I just watched an update about Tiger Woods’ car wreck yesterday. All you did was show damage from his wreck six (five) years ago. Nothing about the minor wreck yesterday. Despicable.”
Another commented on the apparent deception, stating, “NBC just did a sports break talking about Tiger Woods’ rollover yesterday and while talking about it showed a video of a previous rollover where the car was totally destroyed… not once did it say it was not the one from yesterday… shame on NBC for lying again!”
A third unimpressed viewer added, “@NBCSports how is this a thing. You spend so much time focusing on ads that you can’t even do this right. Pathetic.”
The sentiment was echoed by others, with one person calling it a “stupid mistake” and another labelling NBC as “amateurville.” The sheer number of past incidents involving Woods even led one viewer to sarcastically remark, “Tiger Woods has now been in enough car accidents that NBC had difficulty selecting the correct photo to show earlier today.”
A particularly blunt observation read, “@NBC you’re showing the old Tiger crash footage you morons.”
When the broadcast returned to the golf action, commentator Dan Hicks issued a formal correction: “We want to take this time to make a correction. Before we came on the air today with our regular PGA Tour coverage of this Texas Children’s Houston Open our studio show inadvertently showed the incorrect picture of a car crash Tiger Woods was in. It was another previous car crash. It was not the correct one, the latest one that was yesterday. So we apologize for that and wanted to straighten that out before we go any further.”
Later in the coverage, Hicks turned to Woods’ TGL teammate and friend, Kevin Kisner, to get his perspective on the recent incident.
Kisner expressed his concern, stating, “Very disturbing. He was really working hard on his game, trying to practice and get back in shape. He signed up for the U.S. Senior Open yesterday. He was trying to do anything he could to come back and try and help our TGL team, get ready, hopefully try and play the Masters. Just a really unfortunate incident. I guess the only positive is that nobody was injured in the incident and we can all move forward and hopefully help him get better.”
Details Emerge on Woods’ Arrest
Following the accident, reports indicate that Woods managed to exit his vehicle through the passenger side window. He subsequently refused to provide a urine sample to law enforcement officers, leading to his arrest on charges of driving under the influence (DUI), property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Law enforcement officials released Woods’ mugshot to the public later that evening. The image showed the golf icon with visibly puffy and bloodshot eyes. Approximately an hour after his release, he was bonded out and departed the jail, encountering a crowd of fans and reporters.
Photographs captured by media at the scene depicted Woods with a stoic expression, his lips pursed, before he briefly acknowledged the onlookers and was driven away.
At the accident scene, Woods reportedly passed a breathalyzer test, registering “triple zeros.” However, he twice declined to provide a urine sample – once at the roadside and again at the jail.
Sheriff John Budensiek explained the situation, noting, “He is cooperative, but he was not trying to incriminate himself, so he was careful in what he said and didn’t say. When it came time again for the test, the urine test at the jail, he stopped that.”
The Sheriff further elaborated on the evaluation process, stating, “On scene, we had [Drug Recognition] experts evaluating him and they believed from on scene that he was not impaired with alcohol, but they believe it was some type of medication or drug. And again, at the jail he cooperated with the breathalyzer, and then the urine [test] he wanted no part in.”
He concluded by acknowledging Woods’ legal right to refuse the test, which will result in a statutory charge. However, this refusal means definitive results regarding any potential impairment will not be obtained.
