Tiger Woods Affairs: Jaimee Grubbs Goes Public, Tiger Apologies for "Transgressions"

It seems that Tiger Woods' scrape with the law in Florida will stay just that: a scrape, but his alleged affairs, especially the one alleged to have occurred between the Masters champ and Jaimee Grubbs, may constitute far more than just "scrapes." Jaimee Grubbs' expose in Us Weekly and at UsMagazine.com seems to have caused the reticent Tiger Woods to issue an ambiguous apology via his website for an undetermined and unexplained number of "transgressions." And the pluralization may not be a mistake, as the rumor mill is forecasting that Jaimee Grubbs could very well be the first of several Tiger Woods affairs that could come to light in the very near future.

The Florida Highway Patrol announced Tuesday that they would not pursue the driving under the influence charge against Tiger Woods for his Friday morning accident and instead issued the multi-millionaire a ticket for $164 and a citation for "careless driving." The Florida Highway Patrol, which had been pursuing possible charges of domestic abuse against Elin Nordegren, Tiger Woods' wife, dropped their investigation altogether, announcing they had concluded their investigation. "It's over," they told Newsday.

But what is "over" for Florida law enforcement may not be "over" for others. As the Jaimee Grubbs story hits the newsstands and the media furor over the gorgeous alleged-mistress-but-not-really-his-mistress Rachel Uchitel seems to be dying down, the Jaimee Grubbs affair furor has only just begun. And no sooner had TMZ "leaked" an advance notice that Us Weekly was going to expose Tiger Woods' infidelity with the 24-year-old cocktail waitress cum reality show extra than word began circulating that another "other woman," one from a much more recent alleged affair, was getting ready to come forward with her story. Courtney Hazlett at The Scoop reported that the next expose will possibly be that of an employee of the Bank nightclub in Las Vegas.

And there are rumblings among the tabloids and the celebrity gossip websites that there may be quite a few others.

Some question the authenticity of many of the stories or that they may constitute just so many vague lies put forth by their authors just to get some publicity, some financial benefit from their proximity to the sports legend -- a sort of cashing in while the story is really hot -- regardless of whether or not it is true. But Hazlett's report suggests that even though some are coming forward because of the money, there are women who may have had affairs with Tiger Woods who will not come forward because of a heightened sense of loyalty or discretion, the money offered cannot stand in lieu of job security, and/or the actors are waiting for an even larger payday.

But these are all just rumors. There may not be any other "other women" in Tiger Woods' life. But Jaimee Grubbs may be enough. As Jamiee Grubbs' story makes world headlines and an audiotape of a voicemail supposedly of Tiger Woods telling her that he believes his wife has become suspicious of the affair makes the internet rounds, Woods himself has issued an apology on his personal website.

Tiger Woods apologized to his fans, supporters, and family for letting them down. He wrote, in part: "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 ambiguous, the statement seems to be Woods' subtle effort to head off what might be headed his way in terms of tabloid scrutiny, exposes, and the concomitant fallout that comes with the exposure.

Tiger Woods problems with the police might be "over" with a citation and a $164 fine, but his problems with the tabloids and the affairs rumors are just getting warmed up. Sadly, the rumors do not even have to be substantiated. Circumstantial works just fine to sell a story, as much of Jaimee Grubbs' "proof" seems to suggest. And lthough he pleads for some personal privacy in his statement, there is every reason to believe that Tiger Woods knew when he wrote the apology that that request was an exercise in futility.

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Sources:

Newsday.com
"The Scoop," via MSNBC.com
TMZ.com
TigerWoods.com