I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.

Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.

Women have seemingly come out of the woodwork claiming they have had affairs with Tiger Woods. There are also rumors about Tiger Woods’ wife Elin Nordegren causing his injuries. If you are a fan or casual observer who is somehow offended by this behavior, get a life. If these rumors are true, they owe apologies to each other and their children, no one else. Private matters should remain private.

I’m sure there are some who feel that celebrities and athletes owe the public some picture of human perfection, but this is misguided. For Woods, anything that occurs off the golf course is none of my business or yours. Now, if an athlete were injured or found to cheat, then this is a topic that demands coverage, and in the case of cheating, an apology.

My biggest problem is with the emphasis placed on this story. It bothers me that more people are probably following the Tiger Woods story than Climategate, the troop surge in Afghanistan, or the health care bill. The media and its readers are both responsible for their poor focus. One focuses on the nonsense, while the other pours solely through this type of “news” due to laziness or a lack of intellectual curiosity.