Many people were stunned when news that Tiger Woods was caught having an affair broke in 2009. After all, Tiger was married and raising two children with Elin Nordegren when the National Enquirer ran a story claiming the golf pro was having an affair with Rachel Uchitel, a hostess at a New York nightclub.
It turns out the story was true, and Tiger's world came crashing down. In a matter of months, he lost his marriage, numerous endorsements, and even part of his legacy. More women came forward, and soon years of Tiger's deception and infidelities filled the pages of tabloids and newspapers alike.
Eventually, most of the story quieted down, and the key players all retreated to their various circles. Unfortunately for everyone involved, a new HBO documentary about Tiger has brought the entire story back into the spotlight.
This article originally appeared in January 2021.
The documentary, simply titled Tiger, promises "a revealing look at the rise, fall, and epic comeback of global icon Tiger Woods." It also claims to analyze both his ascent to sports greatness and the downfall of his own making that almost completely decimated his entire life.
It came out that Rachel Uchitel was just one of several women who claimed they were involved in affairs with Tiger, but she easily garnered the most attention. She's also a participant in the documentary and is making the media rounds remotely ahead of its release. She recently sat down for a remote interview with Billy Bush, host of Extra.
It seems that Rachel still feels that there's a score to settle. After being asked why she's speaking out now, Rachel explained, "I have been silent for over a decade now, and I felt that it was really important to me to speak only once in my life, because I have spent all these years letting people think what they want to think and say what they want to say."
Rachel added that she's been suffering for years:
"I needed to take the shackles off and be able tell my story for me. Because I have really spent years under the shame of what's been going on."
Rachel continued, saying that the "mistake" she made over a decade ago continues to haunt her.
"But, you know, it's one thing to then go for a decade of people wanting to shame me, and I wanted to set the record straight on what happened."
She also feels like the documentary will help reframe her side of the story:
"I am looking forward to this documentary coming out because it really does show that the media took the opportunity to blame me for someone else humiliating their wife."
Rachel insists that she and Tiger were "in a real relationship" and that she's speaking so publicly about the "relationship" now because she wants … privacy:
"I want people to leave me alone about it. I made a bad decision."
The news of Tiger's numerous affairs was precipitated by a car crash that left the golf pro unconscious for six minutes. Tiger pulled out of his own driveway and steered his car into a fire hydrant, causing serious damage to his vehicle and waking up his wife at 2:30 in the morning. When she realized her husband was the one in the accident, Elin raced out of their home and dragged Tiger out of the car. She sat with him until paramedics arrived.
In the days that followed, Tiger mostly kept quiet about the event. He eventually released a statement on his website:
"Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false."
Tiger's statement did little to help the situation, as reports documenting his affairs with both Rachel and a second woman, Jaimee Grubbs, were published the same day. Jaimee told Us Weekly that she and Tiger were in a relationship for over two years.
The number of women who claimed they also had affairs with Tiger only continued to grow. Within weeks, at least 12 different women had made their own claims, and they were completely open to sharing details.
In the years that followed, Tiger weathered numerous setbacks and health concerns. However, he and Elin have been able to build a co-parenting relationship that really works. In June 2019, he said, "We communicate so much better now, it's incredible. I wish we would have done that earlier on, but it's been incredible to have a best friend like that."
Elin has moved on and found happiness with former NFL player Jordan Cameron. A friend also told Us that she's doing well, and she and Jordan even welcomed their own child in 2020: "Elin maintains a low profile and has a normal, boring life. Florida allows her to live that quiet life. I hear she's surprised that people care this much that she's pregnant."
